To Live Like A Hardy
by KiwiDaydreamer
Summary: Faith Hardy is haunted by the Firm, a gang existing to make the Hardys lives hell. When a case appears and Callie seems to be in danger, who will Frank protect? His choices may lead to losing everyone he loves, including very people he tried to protect.
1. Prologue

**Author's note: **First time posting a Hardy Boys fanfic. A bit AU, but I hope you enjoy it. Pairings are Frank/Callie, Joe/Vanessa as per usual. I haven't read any of the casefiles nor do I live in the USA so if my spelling and other whatnot (such as schooling, measurements, etc) is a bit off, I apologize. I'd rather you didn't flame, but if you must. Go ahead. Reviews are much appreciated. Thanks for reading.

**Disclaimer: **Although I wish to, I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of their friends. But I own Faith.

**Prologue**

When eighteen year old Frank Hardy had gotten home, he was surprised to see that the kitchen light was still on. He was about half an hour late from his curfew and expected everybody to be in their rooms. As what his brother one year his junior liked to call his 'spidey sense' turned on, he cautiously entered the kitchen.

"Faith," he couldn't help but hide his surprise when he saw that it was just his fourteen year old sister sitting at the countertop, eating what looked like cereal.

"You're late," she said with her eyebrow raised. Frank looked at his watch, it was 11pm.

"I'm aware of that," he said plainly, his face going slightly red. He was at his long time girlfriend, Callie Shaw's house and they had managed…to lose track of time. "What are you doing up?" It was a school night and usually, Faith would be sound asleep. She shrugged, her face masking her emotions. Something all three of the Hardy teenagers were good at doing. As she looked at the ground, Frank knew something was wrong. Her eyes had always given her away, hence her looking away.

"I can't sleep," she said, her voice a meagre whisper. Ever since Frank and Joe had rescued their only sister from The Firm last summer, she wasn't the same. The Firm was an organization that was set up by Bernard Paulsen, the man Fenton had put in jail many years ago. After being released, he vowed revenge on his foe. While trying to do so, Frank and Joe were the pair that managed to imprison the man once more. Now, he was even more hell bent on getting revenge on all the Hardys. It had become his life goal, he had even said if it was the last thing he would do, so be it. They had taken Faith in the middle of last summer, holding her hostage and torturing her. Since her rescue, she had become a lot quieter, kept to herself more than before. Frank didn't blame her, although he would never admit it, The Firm scared him. He'd seem them break apart one of the strongest girls he knew, the one sitting in front of him right now. Lately, Faith hadn't been going to bed early, although she never told her family the reasons why. Joe wanted to question her about it, he was getting as worried as everyone else but Laura reasoned that when Faith was ready, she would tell them.

"Why's that?" Frank asked tenderly. He didn't want to interrogate the poor girl but he wanted to know just like the rest of his family, maybe even more. Frank and Faith never used to be so close, it was always Faith looking up to Joe but when she was kidnapped, Frank came to the realization he might lose the only sister he had, without even knowing her and something had clicked in his brain. Since then, the pair had gotten a whole lot closer. Faith just shrugged, hopping off the countertop and placing her bowl in the sink.

"I should probably try and get some sleep," she said, almost as if she was trying to reason with herself.

"That sounds like a good idea, I'll see you tomorrow," he kissed her on the forehead as she past him.

"Good night bro," she said, smiling at him. Frank smiled back. It felt good to see Faith smile, it was something that he didn't see very often.

"_You're not a real Hardy," the voice spat menacingly at her. The man was wearing a ski mask, his appearance unknown to her. _

"_Yes I am!" she cried out. Faith tried to reach out to the person, to punch them, to slap them, to hurt them. To hurt them like he was hurting her. But her hands were tied up behind her and she could feel the rope rubbing against her flesh. She didn't bother crying out, she was so used to the pain that it barely registered. She had been taken for three days now and had no idea where she was. That thought alone was terrifying her. _

"_Laura and Fenton may be your parents, but you aren't a real Hardy. You aren't a sleuth. You aren't smart like Frank, you aren't athletic and outgoing like Joe. You're useless, worth nothing!" the voice started laughing. It wasn't a nice laugh, it was a cackle that bought even more fear to Faith's heart. No-one could argue with the first statement. Even though she didn't look exactly like one of her parents, it was obvious that she was their daughter. Inheriting Fenton's dark wavy hair and slim figure while also gaining Laura's deep blue eyes and small nose. _

"_Then why have you taken me?" That's what Faith couldn't understand. For three days, this person, whose face she hadn't even seen, had been telling her how worthless she was but yet he had kidnapped her. For what? Some name calling.?There had to be more than that. Physically, Faith wasn't doing so hot but it was her mind that was practically shattered. Punches and hits she could handle, there were bruises all over her body but Faith just felt numbness to that. She had a feeling that her ribs were cracked, maybe even broken by the number of kicks and punches aimed at her stomach and she had managed to even cough up blood at some point. But the taunts, the words, they cut her like a double edged sword. She actually had begun to believe this man. That she was inadequate, that she didn't deserve to be a Hardy. She wasn't the smartest in her class, but Faith was certainly bright. And she knew that she was nowhere near as athletic as her brother Joe, but she was on the school's track team and she was on the soccer team. She was quiet and logical, like her brother Frank but she liked to have fun and was known to be very witty, a lot like Joe. Her father teased her about being the best of both of his sons. But unlike her brothers, the idea of mystery didn't appeal to her. She didn't want to follow in her father's footsteps like her brothers had done so successfully. But that certainly didn't mean she wasn't a part of any. Faith grew up around murder cases and had been kidnapped more times than she could even count. Yet she didn't like sleuthing and being mysterious. _

"_You're just bait my dear," the man leaned in close, running his finger down her cheek causing a chill to run down her spine. She couldn't handle it anymore. Part of her just wanted to scream but she knew it wasn't a wise idea. She couldn't let this man see how he'd gotten to her. No, she couldn't let him know that he'd won. _

"_Bait? My brothers and my dad will be coming. And they'll destroy you," she said, trying to keep her voice at the same octave and sounding far more confident than she felt. Her mind was telling her that she wasn't going to be saved, but in her heart, she knew that they were looking for him. She prayed that they were looking for her. The man had taken photos for her bruised body and sent them to her family like some grim reminder that they still had a daughter; a sister._

"_That's what you think my dear," the man cackled loudly. He then grabbed what looked like a gas canister from the corner and doused the area surrounding Faith with petrol._

"_W-what a-are you doing?" she managed to stutter, her heart grew cold as she thought of the worst. Her fears came alive when the man produced a matchbox out of his pocket. This man was insane, she thought. Frank, Joe and dad aren't going to let him get away with this. Part of her knew that was over. _

"_Such a shame for beauty to go to waste," the man called, lighting the match. Her brothers couldn't find her now. They were too late. It was over for her. _

"_HELP!" Was the last thing Faith cried out._

Joe Hardy awoke suddenly, hearing a scream that chilled his heart. Faith, he thought immediately, getting out of bed and rushing out of his room. In his haste, he almost ran into his brother, whom was thinking the same thing. They both looked at each other, Frank nodding grimly before they rushed into Faith's room. She was thrashing around in her bed, her sheets tangling her. Faith was screaming as if something that was haunting her. Joe knew exactly what it was and his anger for The Firm grew deeper. He ran over to her side, trying to stop her from falling out of her bed.

"Faith," he called out urgently and ducked as her hand almost made contact with his face.

"We need to wake her," Frank said, his mind racing. She was definitely in a state and he didn't want to harm her. Or harm himself or his brother.

"FAITH!" Joe screamed, shaking her. He desperately wanted to wake her, just to comfort her. As if on cue, Faith gasped and she sat bolt upright, almost smacking into her two brothers if it weren't for their quick reflexes. She was drenched in sweat and tears were pouring down her face.

"The Firm," she whispered as Joe climbed into the bed with her, wrapping his arms around his little sister. She rested her head against his chest and Frank joined in the hug, rubbing her back. He wasn't usually the type of guy to show his feelings of pain, but he didn't care if anyone saw how scared he was for his sister.

"It's okay Faith, it was just a dream," Joe whispered in her ear, stroking her hair. What had The Firm done to her? He questioned once more. She never talked about it and everyone knew better than to ask But he wanted to know. He wanted to know what they'd done to her inside. They had seen the effects of the physical. When they had found her, she was almost half dead. Several of her ribs were broken, there was internal bleeding in various parts of her body and her ankle was badly twisted. Bruises had covered her whole entire body and her skull had a hairline fracture and her brain had swollen up. Joe shivered, remembering the day his family had received that news in the Bayport Hospital. There was a fifty-fifty chance of Faith living, he remembered the doctor saying. But the bruises had faded, the bleeding was stopped and she was healed. Physically. But in her head, Joe knew that she was more messed up than he could begin to imagine.

"It was so real," her voice was a terrified whisper and it broke Frank's heart. But he didn't know what he could do. As the helpless feeling sunk in, Frank couldn't help but feel guilty. Deep inside, he knew that he was partially at fault for Faith's kidnapping. The day she disappeared, he was supposed to have taken her to her friend's houses. But he'd forgotten, making plans with Callie, Joe and the gang instead. Faith wasn't the type to make a big fuss about nothing, so she walked to her best friend's house, Alicia Prito (Tony Prito's younger sister). But she never arrived. They had found her backpack lying in a ditch about a kilometre away from the Prito's house. There the nightmare had begun. But it didn't seem to have ended. A cough from his sister jolted Frank back into reality. He stared at his younger sister, his heart aching and at his younger brother comforting him. What was he do to? He asked himself.

"You can go to bed if you like Frank. I'll look after her," Joe murmured, as if reading his older brother's thoughts. He knew very well that Frank wasn't the touchy-feely type, the type of person that Faith needed right now. He wasn't either but he was prepared to do anything to make her feel better. Frank gave a resigned nod, feeling even more helpless than before.

"Give a yell if you need me," he said quietly as he left his sister's room.

Review?


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Thanks to everyone who reviewed and/or added this story to your favorites and/or alerts. I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

And I forgot to mention in the prologue, but we just assume that Faith's been here all along.

**Disclaimer: **The Hardy Boys, I own not.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

It was about 7.30 am when Laura Hardy started to wonder where her family was. Fenton was away in Upstate New York for another case but she knew that Frank should be up by now, and so should Faith. Frank was what the family called the early bird while, in contrast, his younger brother was the night owl. Maybe he's gone on his regular morning run, Laura thought to herself as she began to brew coffee. She checked her watch; he was usually home by this time. She was going to leave in about half an hour. Laura worked in a medical lab, doing research and was expected to be at work from about 8 to 5. Suddenly, she heard the creaking of the stairs and a stifled yawn.

"Mornin' mom," Frank said, rubbing sleep out of his eyes as he walked into the kitchen and gave his mom a kiss on the forehead. At 6'1, he was a few inches taller than Laura's 5'9.

"Morning darling," she smiled, handing her oldest son a coffee mug. She was struck at how alike her son looked with her husband, how she would just glance at Fenton and see Frank's mirror image in twenty years. "Where are Joe and Faith?" she asked. Frank shrugged as he glugged down the coffee. He headed back to his room to get ready for the day, knowing that he was already behind his normal schedule. He was usually up about an hour earlier, but after what happened with Faith's nightmare, he didn't get much sleep. Although he had tried to get some rest, his thoughts got the better of him and he lay awake, thinking of what Faith had gone through. He wanted to go back to her room and see how she was doing, feeling slightly more than guilty for going back to his own room. Sighing, at around four in the morning, Frank had gotten out of bed and quietly made his way to his sister's room. The door was ajar and he pushed it lightly. In the dim light of Faith's lamp that was on the opposite side of the room, Frank could see his sister's figure leaning against Joe. They both looked okay and in deep sleep. Feeling more relieved and a little less guilty, Frank made his way back to bed. Although he wasn't planning to sleep, a wave of tiredness had fallen across him. Soon, he had fallen asleep, only to be awoken a mere three hours later. On the way to his bedroom, he bumped into Joe, who was sleepily making his way to the kitchen, already dressed in jeans and a green short sleeved polo.

"How's Faith?" Frank asked cautiously, looking at his younger, dishevelled looking brother.

"She's okay. I don't think she slept much more, I fell asleep and she was still awake," Joe shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck tenderly. There was a crick in it from when he awkwardly fell asleep against his sister's headboard. He had awoken about twenty minutes beforehand, with Faith murmuring in her fitful sleep. Part of Joe wanted to wake his sister up, take her out of the misery of her daunting dreams but he knew better, that she needed all the sleep that she could get.

* * *

><p>All three of the Hardys arrived in the boys' van twenty minutes within the first bell. Usually, they all arrived at different times, Frank coming in the van, Joe biking and Faith walking with her friends but neither of the boys wanted to leave their sister alone and she didn't want to stay alone either.<p>

"Are you going to be okay?" Frank asked his sister, his worry forming a crease in his forehead. She nodded, trying to shake off any remains of her nightmare. The last thing she wanted to do was worry either of her brothers further, but there was no stopping them. Faith knew that they meant well.

"I'll be fine," she reassured both of them, giving them hugs before walking off to find her friends. Joe anxiously stared after her until she disappeared into the crowd.

"Boo," someone suddenly jabbed his sides, causing him to jump. He whirled around and saw that his girlfriend, Vanessa Bender was standing there with Frank's long time girlfriend, Callie Shaw, smiling.

"You gave me a fright," he muttered, giving his girl a hug. Vanessa was a few inches shy of Joe's 6 foot tall figure and was quite a contrast with her darker skin, ash blonde hair and mud brown eyes.

"You both look knackered," Callie commented, eyeing both her boyfriend and Joe. Callie was quite short, 5'7 with golden hair that reached just below her shoulders and emerald eyes that twinkled with intelligence.

"Didn't get much sleep last night," Frank replied, slipping his arm around Callie's waist. He didn't want to dwell on what happened last night, although he was still worried for his sister. Faith had awoken ten minutes after Frank did and joined her brothers for breakfast. They didn't mention the nightmare but both boys could see the cloud of insecurity in Faith's blue eyes. He didn't want to show it, but he was really very concerned for his sister. He didn't know what the nightmare was about and suspected that Joe didn't either. It had shaken the youngest Hardy a great deal, yet she wouldn't talk to anyone about it. Frank sighed, running a hand through his dark hair.

"Why's that?" Callie asked. Frank glanced at Joe, unsure of what to say. Callie and Faith were good friends but although Faith never would admit it, she didn't like Vanessa much. She was much closer to Joe's deceased girlfriend, Iola and was devastated when she was killed. Faith could never really bring herself to the realization that she was actually gone, giving her reason for disliking Vanessa. Both of the brothers knew that Faith would certainly not like for them to be spreading her personal situations with anyone. She was the type of person who hated to burden people with such things.

"Just a family matter," Joe shrugged it off like it was no big deal. Like Frank, he wasn't about to tell the girls about his sister's situation. She had gone through enough and like himself, he hated any sympathy given to him. Before either of the girls could ask further questions, Joe swiftly changed the subject.

When Frank and Joe had arrived home that afternoon once school had ended, Faith had not joined him. Although her family was not quite comfortable with her being out of their sight, especially since her kidnapping, but she insisted that she go about her usual, busy routine. At present, she was in the middle of soccer practice and for once, Frank was relieved she was not with them. He wanted to talk to his parents privately about what to do with her. They all knew that she was lacking a great deal of sleep and they also noticed that she wasn't eating as much as she used to. Faith also shied away from most social events apart from school and her extra-curricular activities. She was spending most of her time cooped up in her room and it worried Frank as it was something she never used to do often. That was before the kidnapping; Frank couldn't help but think ruefully.

* * *

><p>"We're home!" Joe called out as he entered the house, dropping his bag near the entrance. Frank rolled his eyes as he followed Joe into the house, without the 'grand' entrance. Laura didn't usually get home until about five or six so they didn't really expect to see her home.<p>

"Hi boys," Fenton appeared from his study, with a broad smile on his face. He had been away for the past few days and was just coming to stay the night in Bayport before going back to Upstate to finish off his case.

"Hey dad, I'm glad you're home. Could we talk?" Frank wasn't usually so straightforward about everything but this was a matter he wanted to get sorted as fast as possible. Fenton didn't quite know how to respond, giving his eldest son a quizzical glance.

"Yeah…sure. Let's go to my study. Is Joe involved?" He managed to say eventually. Frank nodded and the two brothers followed their father into his den.

"So what's the matter?" Fenton asked as they all sat in his study. Joe tried not to fidget. He was slightly uncomfortable telling someone else about his sister's problems, even though it was their own father and he knew that it was going to be the best for her.

"It's about Faith…" Frank trailed off, not quite knowing what to say next. Fenton leant forward in his chair and rested his elbows on the table. He too, had noticed the changes in Faith's behaviour when he was home and he was scared to find out if she'd gotten worse. Part of him blamed himself for her kidnapping, not just this one but the others but she never complained about it, or about the fact that their father was hardly ever home. Faith was never the type to say anything that would hurt anyone or question anything. Although Fenton had tried to get cases that were closer to home, most of his latest ones had involved him going out of town or even overseas. He didn't particularly like it, but it was part of his job. He tried to finish up cases that were far away as soon as he could, but it didn't always work out that way. After they had found Faith in the summer, Fenton had been given a case in Australia for a few days. Although reluctant, he had taken the case. He remembered the feud it had caused between him and Laura.

"_Why are you taking this case?" Laura demanded, her hand firmly placed on her hip. She couldn't help but feel infuriated. They had just found their daughter, beaten and tortured half to death a mere few days ago and Fenton was going overseas?_

"_Laura-" Fenton started, not quite knowing what to say. He knew that he needed to be in Bayport, to support her and his family. And he wanted to stay. But his partner Sam Radley and himself had been hunting down this ruthless gang for over six months and had finally found their location. It just so happened to be that their headquarters where in Australia._

_"Don't you dare 'Laura' me, Fenton Hardy! You do realize that your daughter is in there, unconscious?" Laura jerked her head in the direction of the entrance to the ICU. The Hardys had practically been living in the Bayport Hospital's waiting room for the past few days. It was the first time that Laura and Fenton had been alone during the week as they had suggested to their boys they go home for a few hours and get some rest. Fenton had decided to tell his wife the plans he and Sam had created while the boys weren't around. He winced at the sound of Laura's angry tone. He wasn't used to hearing it, as his wife was usually passive. It took something big to make her upset._

_"I'm aware of that Laura," he replied in a calm tone, not wanting to upset her further. "I promise I'll be back in two days, three tops," he tried to give her a wry smile but she was having none of it._

_"You know what? Just do whatever you want," Laura sighed, exasperated. She was used to Fenton travelling on a regular basis, knowing it came with the job description. She had even started to be okay with not having her husband home, but not at a time like this. Laura needed him. The boys needed him. And more importantly, Faith needed her father. She sunk into one of the plastic chairs, her head resting in her hands. What was her family coming to? She couldn't help but ask herself._

_"I'll be home before you know it," Fenton tried to reassure her as he sat in the chair next to him. That's what I always say, he thought with a sigh. _

"She's been having nightmares. About the Firm," Joe started, pulling Fenton out of his reverie. He raised his eyebrows. The boys always had a nightmare of some sorts in at least one occasion, even he had sometimes. He wondered why it would be such a big deal.

"They deprive her of sleep. And you've noticed her behavioural changes," Frank continued, running a hand through his dark hair. Fenton couldn't think of anything to say, lost in thought. He knew that Faith had now gained the habit of staying at home when she could be out with her friends, or eating the minimal amount of food, leaving half her dinner on her plate.

"Well, what would you like us to do?" he finally asked. The boys shrugged.

"That's why we came to you," Joe replied uneasily.

"What if we talk to her about seeing Dr Bates?" Fenton suggested, referring to the Hardys family doctor. From there, Fenton knew that he'd probably recommend Faith see a psychiatrist and get her some sleeping pills. Frank and Joe glanced at each other.

"Sounds like a plan..." Frank said slowly. Like all Hardys, although they had much respect for Dr Bates, they didn't particularly like seeing the doctor. Especially for the psychological side of things. Now, there was the task of actually getting Faith to agree with seeing Dr Bates, which was a task easier said than done.

* * *

><p>The Bayport High girls' soccer team practice finished about an hour earlier than they had all expected. After Faith changed out of her sweaty training gear, she sat on the bench near the football field to call her family. Usually, she'd just walk home on her own, but ever since the kidnapping, Frank and Joe had decided to be twice as protective as before. She dialled Joe's cell phone number but there was no answer. Faith really wasn't too surprised; Joe usually liked to leave his phone lying around when he was home. She sighed, dialling Frank's phone number. But strangely enough, there was no answer. Faith suddenly felt a wave of frustration wash through her. She couldn't believe how she got an hour lecture on how important it was to be with one of the family at all times and now here she was, with no one to be with. Faith let out another frustrated sigh, not knowing what to do.<p>

"What is wrong with this family?" she asked herself, gritting her teeth.

"Are you okay?" Faith heard a soft voice ask. She whirled around in such fright that she nearly fell off the bench. Standing in front of her was a boy that she knew, but not too well. He seemed about 5'11 with dark curly hair, dark skin, chocolate brown eyes and a stunner of a smile. He was clad in a Bayport High shirt and jean shorts that reached his knees.

"Yeah, I'm fine thanks," Faith coughed, struggling to compose herself.

"I'm Levi by the way, I'm in a few of your classes," he said, sort of shyly. Faith gave him a smile, glad that she know had company. She had recognized him sitting in her math, science and gym class. He was fairly quiet in class but him and his group of friends were known for occasionally wreaking havoc around Bayport. She didn't know too much about him except that he lived a few blocks away from her and that he was the best freshman soccer player in the school.

"Faith," she replied, giving him a small smile again. She patted the seat next to her and he sat down. They chatted for a few minutes, about little things and it felt nice to talk to someone who didn't ask about her family so much. She had never met a person who was so interested in her. Just her. Not what her dad does. Not her brothers' latest cases. But just her. It was a nice feeling, knowing that someone was genuinely interested in her. Faith glanced at her watch, noting that it was getting late. "Sorry, but I think I have to get going," she said, standing up and grabbing her gear. Levi flushed slightly.

"Um. I'm walking home, would you mind if we walked home together?" his voice suddenly going quiet and shy. Faith couldn't help but smile. She wanted to say she didn't mind at the least but she could hear Frank's voice in her head telling her to say yes, she did mind. She knew that it wasn't going to be right thing, I mean, she had just met the guy but before her logic could take over she blurted out,  
>"Course not." Levi let out a sigh of relief involuntarily and coughed, trying to hide it. Truth be told, he had wanted to ask Faith out since last year. Even though he was known as a 'jock' and had his fair share of girls in his pursuit, the only girl he'd ever looked at was Faith. It wasn't to do with the fact that her dad was famous or that her oldest brother was probably the smartest guy in the whole school and her other brother was the starting quarterback for Bayport; it was something to do with her. She was pretty, there was no denying that. But it was something more than that. She wasn't like all the other girls in Levi's classes that were boy crazy, materialistic, loud and wore clothes that left little to the imagination. Faith was...she was just something else.<p>

On the way home, they talked a bit more. They mostly tried to get to know each other a little better; sharing stories about their lives. Faith found out that Levi and his family had moved to Bayport from Upstate New York about three years ago and he had four younger siblings that ranged from twelve to five years old. Faith wondered what it would be like to be the oldest. She was constantly used to her brothers teasing her about everything and she knew that they worried about her, only because they loved her so much. What would it be like without that kind of protection? She couldn't help but think. Faith also found out that he was guitarist and had been playing for almost as long as he could remember. For Levi, Faith was so easy to talk to. He felt like he could say anything to her without having to worry about how stupid it sounded or how 'feminine' it might be. In turn, he learnt that Faith was really as quiet as she acted in class. She volunteered at the children's programme at the library, she was what she called, 'a book dweeb' and she liked photography. What also surprised Levi was that she was too a guitarist. She hadn't been playing for nearly as long as he had and complained that she wasn't any good. For some reason, Levi highly doubted that. Twenty minutes passed in what seemed like five and before they both knew it, they were on the corner of Elm and High.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow then," Faith mumbled awkwardly, glancing over at her house, wondering what would happen when she opened the front door. She was expecting some sort of lecture followed by an interrogation. She was about to walk up the path leading to her house when Levi suddenly called out,

"Wait!" She turned around and gave him a little smile, making his knees go weak. He hadn't expected to say anything, it just sort of...happened. Now he was stuck, not knowing what to say. He probably looked like a complete fool. Calm down! He thought to himself firmly.

"Um. I, was. Well. Uh." Levi felt even more of an idiot, feeling his cheeks flood bright red. Faith didn't say anything but looked at him expectantly. "Would you like to hang out sometime?" he finally managed to blurt out. Faith looked at the ground bashfully and for a moment, Levi thought the worst, kicking himself inwardly. After a few seconds that felt like eternity, she spoke.

"I'd like that," she walked over to him as she fumbled into her bag to find a pen. Once she grabbed it out, she scribbled her cell phone number on his hand. "See you tomorrow," she said quietly, giving him a quick smile before walking up the path and into her house. Levi was practically bursting with excitement. He couldn't believe it! He might actually have a chance with her, he thought gleefully as he made his way home.

Faith entered her house, feeling on cloud nine. Had she just been asked out? She wondered, with a thoughtful smile.

"You're a bit early," Fenton commented when his daughter walked into the kitchen. It was only six, the time her practice usually ended. Faith snapped out of her daydream when she heard her father's voice.

"Hi daddy," she said as she walked over to him. Fenton smiled, enjoying the fact that his youngest daughter was always going to be a baby to him. Faith wrapped her arms around him and he returned the hug, truly happy to be home. He'd been upstate for about a week and Faith missed him more than she cared to show. When she let go, Faith plonked herself on the seat next to her father. "Practice finished early today. I tried to call Frank and Joe but neither of them would pick up," she explained her early appearance. Fenton nodded. Before he was going to ask how she got home, Joe rushed into the room.

"Who was that guy?" he demanded, his blue eyes narrowing in Faith's direction. Faith felt her face turn a dark shade of red. "Well?" Joe said impatiently. He was in his room finishing off some homework when he caught a glance of two people out his window. Wondering why they'd stopped in front of their house, paranoia took over and he scooted closer to his window. Before long, he realized that the girl was his own sister but he didn't know who the guy was. He felt a wave of annoyance wash over him as he watched his sister walk closer to the boy, write something on his hand before entering the house. As soon as he saved his essay on the computer, he rushed downstairs to confront his sister. Fenton, being in the kitchen during the whole ordeal had no idea what was going on.

"What are you talking about?" Fenton couldn't help but ask. Both Joe and Faith ignored him.

"It's okay Joe. He's just a friend," Faith muttered, shifting around under her brother's uncomfortable gaze. Joe raised his eyebrow as he took the seat across from her.

"Really now? Who is he? What were you doing? What did you write on his hand?" Joe bombarded his sister with questions. Instead of feeling embarrassed, Faith now just felt frustrated and annoyed. She rolled her eyes. Did her brother not trust her _that _ much?

"His name is Levi. He's in a few of my classes. He was walking me home. And I wrote down on his hand the secret to eternal happiness," Faith said, the last part practically dripping with sarcasm. Joe was not pleased, to say the least. He certainly wasn't pleased with her little quip but was less pleased in the fact that a guy had walked her home.

"Walking you home?" Joe echoed.

"Yeah. Because I tried to call two people to pick me up like they'd asked me to. But neither of them picked up," Faith retorted roughly, standing up. It was Joe's turn to go red. He remembered that his phone was on silent, somewhere in the bottom of his school bag. And he knew that he had just dug a hole for himself. But before he could dig himself any deeper, Faith icily excused herself before leaving to go to her room.

"Well, that went well," Fenton commented drily. Joe shot him a look of annoyance. He felt guilty for interrogating his sister and even worse about forgetting to pick her up. She could have been taken again. Just like last time. A shiver went up his spine as he thought of the worst possible scenario.

"I feel like an idiot," Joe muttered, putting his head in his hands. He felt a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay son. She'll be over it soon. Why don't you go pick Frank up from Callie's? We'll be having dinner out tonight," Fenton said softly. Joe looked up at his dad and nodded. He was definitely glad that his dad was home.

* * *

><p>Frank had left home Callie's about half an hour after their talk with Fenton. He wanted to slip out unnoticed by his brother, not in the mood for Joe's antics. Unfortunately, as he tried to slip past Joe's room, his blonde haired brother caught him.<p>

"And just where do you think you're going?" Joe asked, trying to pull of his Aunt Gertrude impersonation. Frank couldn't help but slightly redden as he shouldered his backpack.

"To Callie's," he said. "For study," he added quickly before Joe could open his mouth. Joe rolled his eyes.

"Sure you are," there was no doubting the sarcastic tone in his voice.

"Oh shut up," It was Frank's turn to roll his eyes as he tried to push past his brother. Joe didn't let him past, holding his arm up.

"Mom gave me a list of things she wants me to pick up. Including Faith from soccer practice. I was planning to do them now. I'll drop you off? And then you can walk over to the school and pick Faith up. And I'll pick you guys up from there," Joe suggested firmly. He gave Frank no choice. The elder Hardy muttered something about annoying little brothers as he handed the van keys over.

That was about two hours ago and as Joe had predicted, Frank and Callie were not _exactly _studying. They had finished doing some of their English assignment but managed to distract each other. As time passed, Frank heard his cell phone go off. Reluctantly, he pulled out of Callie's embrace.

"It's probably not important," Callie murmured in Frank's ear, pulling him back. He hadn't mentioned much about Faith, as he knew that although they were friends, they weren't that close. Before he could reply, Callie pulled him back in before kissing him on the lips. Frank moved in closer and soon forgot about all.

"Frank! Joe is here to pick you up!" Mrs Shaw called from downstairs. Hearing her voice, Frank untangled himself from his girlfriend and glanced at his watch. 6:15. Oh crap, he thought as he scrambled up and grabbed his belongings. He had totally forgotten about his and Joe's plan.

"I have to go. I'll call you tonight," he muttered hurriedly, giving her another quick kiss before rushing out the door. Joe tutted as Frank entered the passenger seat of the van.

"Bro. What about the plan?" Joe demanded as soon as Frank called the door. The brown haired boy tried not to gain any eye contact as he pulled on his seatbelt. He was feeling guilty, not to mention a tad embarrassed.  
>"Sorry. I, we..." Frank trailed off, struggling to find words to explain himself. Joe caught on and burst out laughing as he turned the ignition on and started to back out of the Shaw's driveway.<br>"Wait 'til the guys hear about this," He managed to say in between his laughter.  
>"Oh shut up Joe," Frank mumbled, his face going a deep pink. "How'd Faith get home?" he asked, changing the subject. At this, Joe immediately stopped laughing and he gripped the wheel tighter, his thoughts from before coming back. What if something had happened to her? Faith had gone missing and been kidnapped a fair number of times but nothing was as terrifying as the last ordeal. Something that Joe never wanted to experience again. Or want his sister to go through.<p>

"She walked home. Neither of us answered our phones so some guy walked her home," Joe explained blankly. He was trying to hide his guilt and usually it worked on everyone else, except for Frank, who could read his younger brother like a book. Frank too, felt a pang of guilt as he remembered his phone going off. He said nothing for a second.

"Who was the guy?"

"Levi. You know that guy that Chet was talking about the other day?" Joe was referring to their childhood friend, Chet Morton, whom was known for being the all around funny, chubby guy that everyone loved. Frank tried to think about what day Joe was talking about but he couldn't remember.

"Refresh my memory," Frank replied.  
>"I think it was Tuesday. The freshman guy who's taking the soccer team by storm, yeah that's him," Joe answered.<p>

"And what was he doing walking home with her?" Frank couldn't help but jump to conclusions. Usually that was what Joe did but his perspective was slightly shot with guilt and worry. Joe shrugged just as they pulled into their driveway.

"I guess we have some apologies to make," Joe muttered as they hopped out of the car.

Dinner at the Hardys was never quiet. And today was no exception. Fenton and Laura were discussing his latest case and about how long he was going to be away for while Joe was trying to make conversation with Frank, or to be more accurate, teasing him about a particular blonde haired beauty. Faith usually joined her brother in talking about nonsense but today she looked at her food, pushing it around her plate in disinterest. Laura noticed and stopped talking to her husband.

"Faith, are you okay?" she asked as she looked at her only daughter in concern. Faith, suddenly aware that someone was talking to her, looked up.

"Yeah, just not too hungry," Faith answered, trying her best to sound happy. In truth, although she had a good day, she was shattered and all she wanted to do was get some rest. But she knew that she closed her eyes, the Firm was going to haunt her. Laura nodded worriedly and glanced over at Fenton.

"Why don't you go to bed and get some rest? You look in need of sleep," Fenton suggest softly, trying a different tactic. Everyone at the table noticed Faith's eyes went wide with shock and fear.

"N-no, it's okay," Faith coughed, trying to hide her stutter. She blinked and the man with the ski mask appeared in front of her. He was laughing at her, pointing her out, as if mocking her silently. She couldn't help but scream in fright. "Leave me alone!" she cried, scooting her chair in such hurry she almost fell off. Joe had no idea what she was seeing but no-one else could see the man she was trying to fight.

"Faith!" he called, in desperate attempt to break her away from her hallucinations. He waved a hand in front of her face and she suddenly jumped. His heart was breaking, seeing his sister looking so terrified.

"What?" Faith felt like she had just been pulled out of a daze. The past few seconds seemed to have been erased in her memory, leaving nothing but blackness. "What happened?" The sound of confusion had scared Joe. Had she seriously not remembered what happened? It was barely a minute ago she was screaming at something, or someone to leave her alone. Joe wondered again what on earth the Firm had done to her for her to be so...different.

"It's okay Faith," he tried his best to reassure the youngest Hardy, even though he felt helpless. There was nothing he could do. He wondered if she would ever return to normal. Then a scary thought occurred to him. What if this was her new normal?


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N : **Thank you to everyone who is reading. Hope you enjoy it :)

**Disclaimer: **The Hardy Boys and other characters, I own. Not.

**Chapter Two**

After Faith Hardy had left the table, the remainder of the family had mixed reactions. Fenton felt another wave of guilt wash over him, realizing that his daughter was not as well as he had originally thought. Who was he kidding? His daughter was traumatised, and it was all his fault. It had not been the first time that his baby daughter had been hurt at his expense, but she had always healed. Or so he thought. The physical scars had faded, but it seemed like the emotional scars were still present, hurting her more than ever. It felt like a stab to Fenton's heart to think of his daughter in pain. He had disappointed her so many times, and those times seemed to add to the emotional scars that were already present. Fenton had lost count the amount of times he'd missed birthdays, celebrations, soccer games, music performances and holidays because of his career. Some people could say that the dark haired man was married to his career. Even though he would laugh it off and deny it, some of that statement deemed true. He was always putting his career's needs before his own family and now his only daughter was paying the price. Fenton had missed so much of Faith's childhood due to cases that were both national and international. It seemed like only yesterday, Faith was the little six year old girl in dark haired pigtails that chased nine and ten year old Frank and Joe around the house when they took her things. He thought of his daughter, truly starting to think about everything he had missed out on. Frank and Joe had each other and vice versa, but who did Faith have? It was true that her older brothers did her best to look out for her, but she was always on her own. Fenton sighed, running his hand through his hair. Laura Hardy felt a pang of sadness for her daughter. Her little girl had gone through so much for the sake of her brothers and father, yet she never complained. The small blonde haired woman could not think of one instance in which her baby had complained, asking 'why her'. Not when she had first been kidnapped at the tender age of six years old. Laura sighed, remembering that day. She had been so incredibly scared for her daughter's life. The mere thought that her baby girl wasn't going to come home alive had scared her beyond belief and she knew that it was a blessing that Faith was still with them today. Laura remembered the numerous times that their family holidays had been cut short due to one of Fenton's cases or that fact that someone was missing again. After the time Frank was taken when he was fourteen, they had given up on trying to have holidays as a family. Yet, Faith never complained, although the whole family knew how much she looked forward to their then annual family trips. Now she was paying the price, having this twisted man mess her mind up. And it was killing Laura. It hurt her so much to see her baby in pain. To see the growing circles appearing under Faith's eyes as each day went by. To see the forced smile she put on every morning. It was all like some act, some show that Faith put on for her family so they wouldn't worry. Now Laura was wondering exactly how much she knew about her daughter. Fenton had filled his wife in on their sons' plans to take Faith to Dr Bates and she agreed that it was going to be the best for her. They all knew that the hard part was going to be getting the youngest, dark haired Hardy to agree. Like all of the Hardys, Faith had a stubborn streak, sometimes managing to be more stubborn than her blonde haired brother. She didn't like asking people for help, in fear of burdening them so she liked to keep her feelings to herself. Laura decided that she was going to drive Faith over to Dr Bates without her knowing that she was actually going to be seeing them. By the time she realized, there would be no turning back. Dr Bates liked helping the Hardy family and Faith hated to make people feel bad so Laura was almost certain that her daughter would agree. More than anything, she hoped her daughter would agree. Because she would do **anything** to make Faith better.

As the first rays of sunshine entered through the cracks of the curtain, Faith couldn't help but let a small sigh surpass her lips. She managed to get about three hours of decent sleep before being awakened by her nightmares again, haunting her. Taunting her. This time, she was careful not to cry out or make any noise, knowing that the rest of her family needed their rest. Instead, she turned on her bedside lamp, the dim light giving her a bit of comfort.

"What am I doing?" she asked herself quietly as she rested her head in her hands. Glancing at the time, Faith already knew that sleep was now a wish, something she could hope for but not gain. Seeing as the youngest Hardy could not do much else, she decided to let her creative juices flow. After a little stretch, she picked up a charcoal pencil and her sketch pad. She didn't quite know what she wanted to draw as her mind seemed like a jumbled mess. She started with small strokes flying across the blank page, not thinking about the outcome. Only two hours later, the dark haired girl came to the realization that she indeed was not drawing a few random lines, but a face. A face she knew all so well, with a scowl deeply etched onto his face like a permanent scar, gaunt skin and a large ski mask that covered the upper half of his face. Faith let out a gasp, shocked at what she had drawn. This crazed man had messed with her mind, yet she was letting him win. Her surprise quickly simmered into anger, ripping the sheet out of the pad and scrunching it in her closed fists. The youngest Hardy threw the paper at the wall with all the strength she could muster, feeling slightly satisfied as it dropped to the floor. When the luminous numbers of her clock beamed 6.30, she thought it was a decent time to arise. With another sigh of frustration, she got out of bed, wondering what this day would behold for her. Faith had a quick shower before changing into a short sleeved pale green sundress and black flats and dried her hair out, deciding to leave it out and placed a floral headband with a little green bow attached to it to finish off her outfit. By the time she had finished that and finished sorting out her school bag, it was about five past seven and she could faintly hear her mother singing to herself downstairs. Faith smiled as walked downstairs, hefting her side bag onto her shoulder as she took the stairs two steps at a time.

"Morning mom," she greeted her happily, planting a kiss on her cheek.

"Good morning Faith. You sleep well?" Laura asked her daughter while she brewed the coffee. Laura was thinking about the plan, wondering if it was actually going to work. It seemed like a decent plan, but she had her doubts. It was hard to have any doubts, considering what her family was like. She loved them all dearly, but they were all so unpredictable at times like these.

"Yes thanks, you?" Faith didn't like lying, especially to her mother but she didn't want any of them worrying about her. She took out a bowl and filled it with cereal and milk before plopping onto the counter to eat her breakfast. Laura smiled as she poured some coffee into her mug, it was nice to see her daughter eating. It was nice to see her daughter looking happy, even though they both knew that it was faked.

"I slept well. It was nice having your father around. Are you doing anything after school?" Faith thought for a moment.

"No, I don't think so, why's that?" she asked, her eyebrows raised. It was unusual for Laura to ask her daughter what she was doing, as she was a busy woman and seemed to know when and where Faith had to be. Something she learnt at mom school, Faith thought with a smile.

"Oh, I wanted to take you somewhere. I'll pick you up after school?" Laura replied, giving her daughter a smile, hoping that she could hide what she was really thinking. She was no detective, and she didn't want to keep Faith in the dark, even though she knew that it was all for a good reason. The youngest Hardy tried to hide her confusion.

"Yeah, sure," she was unsure of what to say. Laura gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead.

"Sounds like a plan. I'm going to go get ready," she told her as she left the kitchen, leaving a slightly confused Hardy sitting alone.

* * *

><p>Frank Hardy scanned the cafeteria, that same afternoon, looking for his gang of friends. He had left his chemistry class a little later then everyone else after discussing with his teacher about some extra credit and hadn't managed to catch up with any of them. He looked around, seeing particular blonde haired beauty and smiled, making his way toward her.<p>

"Hey," he greeted his friends, kissing Callie on the cheek as he sat down. Everyone murmured replies before going back to their own previous discussions. Frank looked over at his younger brother, who was uncharacteristically quiet for once. Joe seemed to be staring at something in the distance. It wasn't usual for the blonde haired boy, as he liked to space out into his own little world sometimes. However, it was unusual for him to blank out during school, especially at lunch. Their friends liked to joke that lunch was Joe's favourite time of the day. The blonde haired boy didn't bother to argue that point.

"Biff, what is Joe looking at?" Frank asked as he bit into his ham sandwich. Alan Hooper, better known as Biff had been Joe's best friend (with the exception of Frank of course) since kindergarten and the buff, blonde haired seventeen year old now nudged Joe in the ribs.

"What?" Joe asked, sounding slightly dazed and confused.

"What are you looking at?" Biff repeated Frank's question. Joe jumped in his seat slightly, as if coming to terms that someone was having a conversation with him.

"Nothing," he replied unconvincingly as he tore his eyes away and looked at Biff. His best friend raised his eyebrow as he took a gulp of his fruit juice.

"Who were you checking out Joe?" Biff asked slyly. It had earned him a whack over the head as the girls looked over, their eyebrows raised in suspicion. Everybody knew how much of a skirt chaser Joe was, even though he wasn't as bad now he had a steady girlfriend.  
>"I'm not checking <strong>anyone<strong> out," Joe replied firmly, slightly annoyed as he glared at Biff and Frank, who were failing at suppressing laughter. Chet, Tony and Phil snorted as they had only heard the last part of Biff and Joe's conversation. The trio glanced at Joe, then at Vanessa before glancing at Biff and Frank. They hadn't quite caught on what was so funny, but they wanted to find out.  
>"Then what are you looking at?" Vanessa demanded, crossing her arms over her chest. She loved the younger Hardy very much, and she knew that he loved her too, but she had heard of his flirtatious reputation and was less than pleased. Joe shot Frank a ticked look. The blonde haired boy was in no mood to be teased by his brother and friends and definitely not in the mood to be interrogated about what he was looking at. He wondered exactly why it had been such a big deal in the first place. <em>I mean, no one had been talking to me anyway, <em>the seventeen- year-old thought sourly.  
>"Just making sure my sister is okay," he muttered under his breath, giving Frank the death glare. At the sound of the word sister, Frank shot a look over in the direction his brother had previously had been staring. Sure enough, Faith was seated at the table with Alicia and a few other friends that Frank vaguely knew. It wasn't hard to miss his baby sister, she was the only girl there whose dark hair was tied up into a high ponytail. The elder Hardy couldn't register that anything was wrong. Faith looked happy as she laughed at something her best friend had said. There was nobody there that seemed to be harassing the group. Although Faith didn't invite her friends around as much as she used to, Frank and Joe knew her who her friends her, apart from Alicia. There was Jessica Hadlow, a tall sophomore with blonde hair that was always tied up in a bun on the side of her head. She was the goalie on Faith's soccer team and Jessica was a kind, outgoing girl. Seated across from the three girls were an equal amount of boys that both brothers knew. Josh Hadlow, Jessica's brother who was one year her junior with the identical blonde locks, although cut short. Josh was their sister's guitar tutor, an amazing musician who was serious yet good humored. Next to him was Nick Santos, a Spanish speaking student who had moved to Bayport a few years ago with his aunty. Nick was a bulky, dark haired teenager and was often mistaken for being Tony's younger brother. The last of Faith's little group was Shane McNickle, a tall, lanky red head who enjoyed the comfort of his room a little too much. He was known as a computer whiz and was coincidentally Phil Cohen's younger cousin. Frank glanced at his sister's friends for a moment before turning to his younger brother. <em>Nothing seems wrong, <em>the dark haired boy thought, raising an eyebrow at his brother.

"There seems to be no problem Joe," Frank said, rather tentatively.

"Look again bro," Joe replied, sounding rather nonchalant. Sighing, Frank glanced over again, only to realize exactly why Joe was so annoyed. Rather than there being only three teenage boys, there were four. The elder Hardy slapped himself inwardly for not noticing the curly haired boy earlier.  
>"What's Levi doing with Faith?" Chet asked, echoing Frank's thoughts. Chet knew Levi fairly well, the freshman worked on the Morton's farm almost daily. The chubby boy liked Levi. To him, he seemed like a nice guy who was definitely hard working. Levi would show up at their farm at four am sharp and when he didn't have soccer practice, he would be at the Mortons from four thirty to six thirty. Levi did whatever he was asked to, even though the jobs he were given weren't always the greatest. Chet hadn't heard their worker complain at least once while he was on shift and he got on quite well with the curly haired soccer player. "I never knew they were friends."<br>"Neither did I," Joe muttered darkly as he went back to his lunch, stabbing his salad with annoyance.

* * *

><p>As promised, when Faith walked out of the high school's doors, she saw her mother's car. Laura Hardy couldn't help but smile as she saw her daughter arm in arm with Alicia Prito. The two had been best friends since she could remember and Laura remembered how relieved she was that Faith had easily made friends with one of her boys' friends' siblings. They had practically gone through everything together and Laura could easily say they were as close as Frank and Joe were, maybe even closer. Alicia was the only person that Faith would ever talk to about Iola Morton. Even as Laura thought about the beautiful blonde that captured her youngest son's heart, she suddenly felt a pang of sadness. Everybody loved Iola and when she had died, the whole town had been in shock, absolutely devastated. Apart from Joe and the Mortons, Faith was probably the most affected. She idolized Iola, calling her the big sister she never had and likewise, Iola teasing her about being her younger sister. The two were very close and Laura knew enough to know that they shared almost everything. When Iola had died, a part of Faith did too. There was a time, just after the funeral where Faith didn't talk to any of her family, she barely talked at all. She couldn't look anyone in the eye and she just closed off. Alicia was the girl that singlehandedly pulled Faith out of her misery and the pair were closer than they had ever been. Laura's thoughts drifted back to reality when she saw Faith walk over to the car. She unlocked the doors so her daughter could get in.<p>

"How are you?" she asked as Faith got in and gave her mother a quick kiss on the cheek. Laura started the car and off they went.

"I'm good, how are you mom?" Faith asked. She wondering what was going on, but she knew better than to ask. If Laura wanted her to know, she would have been told.

"I'm good as well. I suppose you want to know where we're going…" Laura trailed off, echoing Faith's thoughts.

"Yeah. Pretty much," Faith admitted with a small smile. Laura wondered how she was going to tell her daughter.

"Your father, the boys and I have been very worried about you Faith. I booked you an appointment with Dr Bates," Laura said quickly, waiting for Faith's reaction. She was expecting her to blow up like a time bomb or to remark sarcastically but she was surprised when Faith just nodded.

"That probably sounds like a good idea," she murmured quietly, more to herself. When Faith had her first nightmare two days after she got home from the hospital, she was absolutely terrified. She had no idea what to do but she hadn't told any of her family, in fear that she'd worry them. So she went about like everything was okay. But the night when Frank and Joe had woken her was basically a wakeup call of its own. She realized that she couldn't hide from her nightmares or pretend like they weren't bothering her. The smartest thing to do was to get help and fix the problem. Even if it meant seeing a doctor.

"Are you sure you're okay with it?" Laura couldn't help but ask. Was she really going to go through this without a fight? She didn't doubt her daughter but it was definitely something she would've objected to if it was bought up this time last year. Faith just gave a curt nod. She didn't want to say anything, in fear that her voice would break and she would burst.

"One condition," she said quietly, once she had found the strength to speak a minute or so later. Laura gave her daughter a quick glance.

"Yes?"

"I go alone," Faith's voice was barely audible. Laura almost stopped the car in shock. She gripped the steering wheel tightly, attempting to compose herself. What was her daughter thinking? She could barely sleep, let alone go to a doctor to talk about what was making her so afraid.

"Faith. No," Laura tried to sound as firm as she possibly could.

"Mom. It's either I go on my own. Or I don't go at all."

Laura and Faith reached Dr Bates practice without any further discussion. Laura turned off the ignition and faced her daughter. Part of her couldn't actually believe Faith was agreeing to this without any fight buy another part of her was screaming to not let her go on her own.  
>"Are you ready?" Laura asked the youngest Hardy as she reached in and pulled a stray hair from her daughter's face. Faith nodded, hoping that her mother couldn't see how tightly she was gripping her seat.<p>

"I'll be fine mom. You go have a rest, I'll walk home after the appointment," she responded with a small smile.

"I think I should pick you up..." Laura replied cautiously. Faith made a face.

"Mom, I'm capable of walking home. I'll see you later," she gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and before Laura could reply, Faith was out the door.

* * *

><p>When Faith reached the receptionist, she tried her best to take deep breaths and forced herself to relax. It's just Dr Bates, she thought. You've seen him plenty of times before. But that wasn't because her mind was messed up. She visited Dr Bates when she had the flu or when she broke her arm when Joe accidentally pushed her off the trampoline at the Mortons or when she was accompanying the danger magnets she had to call brothers. The reception hadn't changed since the last time Faith had visited, which was about a year ago. The walls were still painted cream with fuzzy blue carpet and the friendly elder receptionist typing away behind an old looking computer.<p>

"Hi, I have an appointment to see Dr Bates. My name's Faith Hardy," she said politely once she had reached the desk. The elderly lady behind the counter looked up and smiled.

"Ah Fenton's daughter. Just take a seat in the waiting room," the elderly lady pointed to the small room that was just off the main hall.

"Thanks," Faith did as asked and walked into the small room. It was a typical waiting room with cushioned chairs hugging three of the walls, one corner dedicated to the old box of toys that hadn't changed since Faith was a baby and a small coffee table in the middle filled with both old and newer magazines. There weren't too many people in the room, an elder man who was reading one of the national geographic magazine, a younger woman with pretty ginger hair who was nursing a small baby and one boy about the same age as Faith with his head buried in a book so she couldn't see his face. Faith took a seat, placing her bag in front of her feet and grabbing her I-pod out of the front pocket.

"Faith?" she heard a familiar voice ask in a surprised tone. She looked up to see that Levi was the unknown boy hiding behind the book.

"Levi?" she blurted, sounding more surprised than he did. "What are you doing here?" Levi couldn't help but chuckle slightly as he set his book down.  
>"I should be asking you the same question," he replied, glancing at her. Her reaction stunned him. Her smile immediately turned into a frown and her eyes darkened.<p>

"It's nothing," she said, trying to sound happier than she felt. Although she managed to convince her mother that she was okay with being her, she wasn't completely okay with it. Part of her was resenting that her family didn't trust her to get better on her own but the other part of her knew that she needed this. Not that she was going to ever admit that aloud.

"I asked first," she responded cheekily and Levi gave a small smile. Although he didn't want to show that he had any weaknesses to the girl he'd been crushing on for who knows how long, there was something about her that made him want to tell her. He moved and sat in the seat right beside her.  
>"You know how I moved here from upstate New York?" he asked, his voice quiet. He looked around to see if the others in the waiting room were paying attention but they didn't seem to. Faith nodded, silently urging him to continue. "Well," he began again but faltered. Faith noticed his discomfort and immediately felt guilty for pushing him.<p>

"You don't have to say," she said quickly before he could say a word.

"No, it's okay. The thing is," he paused for a second and took a deep breath. "My dad had lung cancer and died just before I started high school." Faith couldn't help but feel shocked. That certainly wasn't something she was expecting to come out of Levi Reinheart's mouth. The boy seemed almost angelic, as if his whole life was put together perfectly like a puzzle. But apparently that wasn't so. She smiled to herself. That's probably what people think about my family, she thought wryly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear Levi. That must've been awful," Faith replied sympathetically. She couldn't even begin to imagine how he felt. Sure Fenton wasn't home a lot but when he was, he made sure that spent time with his little angel, as he liked to call her. She could not even bear to imagine life without him.

"Yeah. Mom couldn't handle staying in our old house. So she packed up everything we had and moved us to little ol' Bayport," Levi shrugged as if it was no big deal. But to him, he could hardly believe that he was saying this to anyone apart from his physiologist. He hadn't even mentioned to his mom how much it hurt him to move out of his home that he grew up in. To just pack up and leave everything he had ever known. Levi had left a wonderful school that he'd been to his whole life. Friends that he had known since he was born. A soccer club he'd been playing in ever since he could kick a ball. But he left it all behind without a single complaint. All for his mother. He knew that his dad dying had shattered her life. He was her everything. And she loved him with all her heart. They were the cute stereotypical couple that had known each other since they were four years old. They grew up as best friends and as they reached high school, their friendship blossomed into love. They were engaged as soon as they both hit eighteen and were happily married with one little boy on the way by the time they'd both finished their studies. Levi could clearly remember the day his father was diagnosed, as if it were yesterday. He was about ten years old, coming home with his younger sister and two younger brothers. The younger trio had been bickering but immediately stopped when they reached home and found both their parents in tears. Levi could remember how frightened he was, it was unexplainable. His mother he'd seen cry a few times. Like when his younger brother Liam broke his arm playing soccer or when Landon, Lily and Layla were all struck with the chickenpox. But he'd never ever seen his dad cry. His dad was a quiet man, but a strong and mature man. Levi and Liam both worshipped their father. Ken Reinheart was a typical man, a steady job in concept art - something that he loved and something he was amazing at, great family and an all around nice guy attitude. When Ken and Anna Reinheart told their children the news, Levi knew that life was never going to be the same for them. He felt his eyes watering and noticed that Faith had placed her hand gently on his knee.

"I'm so sorry," she said quietly. Her voice was filled with such innocence, such sincerity that Levi wanted to kiss her then and there. But he managed to control himself.

"So, what about you?" Levi asked, clearing his throat and changing the subject. It wasn't just that he wanted to keep his water works tightly shut but he was also intrigued. Whatever could cause the great Frank and Joe Hardy's younger sister to be in a waiting room at the physicians? Levi knew that she didn't like to be involved with her brothers or father's detective work, he'd learnt that much the day before.

"Well. This summer, I was kidnapped," she replied blankly. Faith stifled a laugh as she saw Levi's face drop.

"What?" he gasped. What exactly did this girl go through?

"It's no biggie. I've been kidnapped plenty of times before," she replied, trying to calm him down. He simply raised an eyebrow. How on earth could she be so calm about this?

"It comes with the territory. Dad and my brothers and all," Faith paused. Levi took a moment to gather his thoughts.

"So what made this one different?" he asked gently. She pulled on the gem of her top nervously.

"I was kidnapped by the Firm. It was founded by some psycho guy that both my dad and my brothers put in prison. He decided that the best way to get revenge on the Hardys is to danger the ones they love. So naturally, he took me. I was held hostage for about two weeks. And it was just..." Faith drifted off, swallowing hard as the memories flooded back to her. The small, dinghy room with one low lying dim bulb. The horrid videos he had made showing his tortuous ways before sending it off to her terrified family. Levi put his hand on her arm, trying to find some way to comfort her. "It was just awful. I've been having nightmares and stuff, so my family sent me here to see Dr Bates," she ended, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

"Oh," Levi couldn't think of anything to say. His mind was still swimming with the new information he was trying to process about Faith. This girl had gone through much more than he could ever start to imagine, yet she remained strong. Faith shrugged, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. Maybe she'd said too much. Maybe she should've just kept her mouth shut. Before she could contradict herself further, Levi spoke up.

"Are you doing anything this weekend?" he asked before he could think about what he was saying.

"No…" Faith said slowly, wondering where this conversation was going to lead to. Levi felt a familiar tingle on his cheeks as they flooded red and she immediately understood what was going to happen.

"Um, would you like to go out then?" Levi asked timidly.

"That'd be nice. Pick me up at 6?" she replied as Dr Bates walked into the room. He just nodded absently, as if he couldn't believe that he'd actually asked her out. And that she actually agreed.

"Hi Faith, would you like to come on in?" Dr Bates walked over to the pair, giving them both a smile. Dr Bates was a kind elder man with greying brown hair, bright blue eyes and a warm smile. Faith nodded, gave Levi a little smile before following her physician.

* * *

><p>Dr Bates left the door slightly ajar as Faith sat down in the cushioned chair in front of his desk. She had been in his office many times before, but never alone. And certainly not for anything like this. Dr Bates sat down in front of his desk and glanced at the young girl in front of him. She had certainly grown, he couldn't help but think. It seemed like yesterday she was the little six year old with wavy pigtails, wearing odd coloured overalls that followed her two brothers everywhere. She was now a high school freshman, her hair falling behind her back, wearing what she'd call fashionable clothing but she still kept that innocence about her. And even though he knew that she did not always get along with her two elder brothers, he knew very well that she thought very highly of them both.<p>

"So what brings you here today?" Dr Bates asked softly, staring at her medical profile that lay on the desk. She had only been to see him about four times regarding herself, twice she had the 'flu, once broke her arm and she also dislocated her shoulder a few years back.

"I've been having nightmares," she said cautiously, wondering how much her mother had told the elder physician.

"What were they about?" Dr Bates asked tentatively. He knew it was a touchy subject, Laura had mentioned as much. Faith swallowed and looked at the ground, twiddling her thumbs.

"Ah. Well..." She began but faltered. She wanted to tell him but she just. Couldn't.

"It's okay. You can do it. I know you can," Dr Bates said softly, leaning forward.

"T-the F-firm. T-they, h-he," Faith stuttered, trying to gain her composure. She was trying, but something was stopping her. But she didn't know what. Was it fear? Was it terror? Was it… She didn't know. If there was one thing about Faith Hardy, she hated, absolutely hated not knowing. She didn't like being on the outside. If there was something she wanted to find out, she would surely find out, one way or another. The youngest Hardy hated being left in the dark. She couldn't stand being unsure of anything.

"You can do it," Dr Bates murmured, quietly jotting down some notes.

"He, he hurt me," Faith managed to say, closing her eyes. She heard Dr Bates scribble something down. He was glad she had closed her eyes, he didn't want her to see the fear in his eyes. Hurt her? There are so many ways people can experience pain, he thought grimly. What did this man do to her?

"How?" he pushed, waiting for her to speak knowing it was important to give her time. Dr Bates saw her clench her fists tightly.

"He pushed me around. Beat me up. Half the time I was unconscious," she shivered in memory. Every few hours he'd come into her prison with something new to hit her with. One time it was a baseball bat. There was one time he bought basketballs in and pelted them at her. There was the umbrella he'd smacked her with numerous times. One time he had bought in a pile of dictionaries and hurled them at her for an hour. He had even thrown a few glass cups at her. She had never been so terrified of inanimate objects in her life. She didn't know how such simple things, such as containers could hurt so much. Especially when the containers had been filled with concrete and sand before being hurled at her. Faith felt tears forming around her eyes though she refused to cry. Dr Bates wrote down what she'd said before touching her arm briefly. She was doing so well, he thought. He wondered if anyone else knew of what the man did to her, or was it an unspeakable terror? Dr Bates thought for a moment, before coming to the conclusion that he was the first to know about her torture. Although she wasn't saying what exactly the torture was, he could read from her medical notes that they were bad. When they had found her, her whole body was literally covered in bruises and cuts. Some cuts were deeps, some long, while others were merely short scratches. The bruises had varied in sizes, but some of them had bruised her bone as well. The medical report couldn't conclude exactly what her injuries were from.

"And he had said, s-said," Suddenly Faith just broke down, her hands covering her beautiful face. As Dr Bates handed her a box of tissues, he wanted to know more about what that man had said. It was obviously affecting her much more than the physical pain. That wasn't unusual. Mostly women, especially young girls were subjected to emotional pain, rather than being punched. It was easier to say something nasty about them, rather than kick them. Physical pain bought out bruises and bleeding, but emotional pain was harder to nail. Especially considering the fact that most of the time, the victims wouldn't speak about what had happened.

"You don't have to say anymore," he said gently as Faith wiped her eyes. Why did you break down like that? She asked herself angrily. She was supposed to be strong, she was a Hardy. _Hardys' don't show weakness_, she remembered the faceless man tell her. That is why you're not a Hardy. Faith gave another involuntary shiver. Not a real Hardy.

"I see him," she continued as if she hadn't heard Dr Bates speak. He didn't mind, he was glad that she was comfortable talking to him about such a serious topic. Such a...terrifying topic. "I see him every time I sleep. Or close my eyes for a long time. I just want him to go away," she whispered finally, biting back tears. Dr Bates felt his heart break at the sound of her desperate voice. She was such a wonderful girl. Such beauty. Talent. Brains. But this one man was ruining it all for her.

"I'll subscribe you some sleeping pills," he said with a tight smile. "I think we've talked about enough today. Faith, you did amazing. I'm proud of you," Dr Bates said, meaning every word. It was obvious that this was something she could barely talk about with her family, let alone a doctor.

"You aren't going to tell anyone about this?" she looked up at him and he could see the terror in her eyes. They couldn't know how weak she was. Not her mother or father. Not even Alicia. And there was no way she was going to tell her two perfect brothers that she was a weakling.

"Of course not," he replied. He knew that Laura would want to know what was happening to her daughter but there was a patient privacy conduct and besides, he knew that if Faith wanted to tell her family, she would.

"Thanks," she replied with a small smile as he handed her the prescription form.

"Any time Faith. Come in and see me the same time next week," he said as she got up from her chair. She nodded and before he knew it, she was out the door.

When Faith walked out of the building, she didn't notice the dark clothed man that was waiting for her. Her mind was too occupied from what just happened to notice anything else. She couldn't believe that she'd managed to tell Dr Bates all that information. Part of her was annoyed with herself, she was showing signs of weakness. Hardys don't show weakness, she could hear the man's voice in her head. No, she thought to herself firmly. You are getting help, you are getting stronger. She wanted to feel proud of herself, but instead she just felt angry. She sighed, trying to think of other things. She glanced at her watch, relieved that it was only half past four. Faith decided to head to the main town centre of Bayport to grab the pills she'd been subscribed but she doubted that she was going to actually use them. About three minutes later, she finally noticed the man behind her. There wasn't anyone else on the footpath, just her and the man. Am I being followed? she couldn't help but ask. No, of course not. She tried to argue with herself. It was probably her just being paranoid. That's what happens when you're related to three of the most well known detectives in the area. Just to be safe, she turned the next corner. But surely enough a few seconds later, the man followed.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N:** I'm so sorry for the ridiculously long wait. Been busy with school and life in general. It's a shorter chapter, sorry. Hope you like it though!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>

Faith quickly dialed her oldest brother's number, fearing the worst. Her fingers slipped against the dial pad as her fingers were numb and she swore softly. When she was finally able to dial his number, she quickened her pace slightly, desperately hoping that whoever was following her didn't notice.

"Pick up big bro. Please," Faith begged to herself as she saw the man draw closer. It seemed like she was living in some kind of twisted nightmare, hating every single second of it. She couldn't help but wonder, why her? She was a good girl. Her grades were amazing. She tried her best not to do wrong. It seemed like the nicest people were the ones who had the worst circumstances. Faith had never asked for this kind of life, it just happened to be the result of being a part of the Hardy family.

* * *

><p>Frank Hardy was in the middle of a conversation with his friend Phil Cohen when his phone vibrated in his pocket. Phil was one of Frank's very close friends, an eighteen year old with wavy brown eyes, skinny frame and wired glasses. They were discussing some history homework when Frank pulled out his phone. The caller ID flashed with his sister's name on it and he quickly excused himself.<p>

"Hey Faith," he greeted his sister with a gleeful tone. He was feeling rather cheerful. His day had gone well, gaining an A for his English essay which he had worked hard on.

"Frank, I think I'm being followed," she replied quickly as she tried to remain calm. It was going to be okay. Frank was going to make sure of that, she tried to rationalize with herself.

"Explain the situation," he ordered, his face quickly turning grim as the familiar feeling of dread washed over him. He mouthed a hurried goodbye to his friend. Phil waved, not bothering to ask what was going on. After being friends with the Hardys for about six years, the lanky boy knew that leaving without an explanation was something of the norm to the Hardys. Frank quickly shoved his history books into his bag and hurried out the door to the van that he and his brother shared. He was glad that he was using it today, as Joe was in the middle of football practice.

"I'm on Shore Road. I was at Dr Bates and walking to the pharmacy," she said in a rush. Frank forced himself to remain calm as he started the van. It took the bluetooth connection a second to start and he sighed in relief as Faith's voice was heard through the van speakers.

"What does h-they look like?" Frank said, remembering to come off as being sexist. Faith and Callie had a long argument with him when he mistakenly said in front of them that criminals were almost always males. He smiled at the memory as he drove to Shore Road. The fight was long and heated, resulting in Frank wiping chocolate cake off his face and shirt, and doing the dishes for the rest of that week. He quickly learnt to refer to any unknown suspect as 'they' to please his girlfriend and sister.

"Uh, I can't see much of him. From here, he looks about your or Joe's height. Dark jeans, black shirt, beanie and he doesn't look familiar," she said, fiddling with her bag. She just wanted to get out of the situation. She loved her family more than anything but it was a time like this that she wished her family was more...normal.

"Okay Faith. Listen to me carefully. I'm on my way to Shore Road. Have you passed Glendon Ave?" her dark haired brother asked as he made a turn.

"Just about to," she replied, her pace quickening slightly.

"Turn there. I'll meet you there soon," Frank told his sister.

"O-okay. See you then," she replied, taking a deep breath.

"Be careful Faith," he said tentatively before hanging up. He was about five minutes away from Glendon when he was suddenly found himself stuck in a traffic jam. Oh crap, Frank thought as he took a long deep breath. It was going to be a long five minutes. He rapped the steering wheel with his fingers, trying to think about anything else, but it wasn't working. A mountain of 'what ifs' had swum into his head. What if she was kidnapped again? What if the next time they found her, she was broken beyond repair? What if she died? Could he live with himself knowing he let his sister down? Frank tried to push the thoughts away. Him being pessimistic wasn't going to help his sister get out of this mess.

* * *

><p>Faith turned into Glendon, expecting to see her older brothers' van sitting there, waiting. But there was no car was in sight. In fact, there was nothing in sight apart from a few shanty looking houses. A moment of panic consumed her. Where was he? She thought, glancing around. Surely enough, the man had turned into the corner. Faith took a deep breath before breaking out into a quick jog. Don't panic, she thought to herself firmly. She'd been in enough sticky situations to know that panicking was the stupidest thing to do. She wanted to look back to see how far the guy was behind her, but she knew that it was an unwise thing to do. Faith's heart beat faster as she heard heavy footsteps coming her way. She turned around despite her earlier thoughts and saw the man was right behind her. It wasn't really a man, more a boy. About Joe's age or younger. He had dark hair sticking out in tuffs underneath his beanie and dark eyes that gleamed with mischief.<p>

"Come 'ere," he growled, reaching out to grab her waist. She bit back a strangled cry, pulling her elbow backwards as hard as she possibly could, relieved when she felt contact against the boy's chest. He staggered back, swearing loudly. Faith needed no second invitation, she ran off as fast as she could. Her bag was hitting against her back, forming a light bruise but Faith didn't care. She just wanted to get away from this creep as fast as she could. As she continued to sprint, her energy level suddenly seemed to fade. The footsteps seemed to come closer and became louder. _Come on Hardy, _she thought to herself. _You need to keep going. _

"Gotcha," the boy snarled as he roughly grabbed her. She tried to fight him off but he was a few years older, stronger and bigger. He had the unfair advantage, and it was starting to really tick the youngest Hardy off. She tried everything. Kicking, punching, scratching. She even tried to bite him, but no avail.

"Let go!" she cried, trying to pry away from his tight grip. Faith didn't hear the black van screech to a halt near the sidewalk, nor did she hear the slamming of the van door.

"Leave her alone," she heard Frank growl as he came up behind his sister's assailant. He wrestled the boy into a headlock, forcing him to let Faith go.

"Get into the van!" he yelled as the boy struggled underneath his vice-like grip. Faith merely nodded, partially in shock before racing to the passenger side of the van, hopping in and slamming the door shut with such force that the van shook. Frank aimed a few hard punches at the young assailant and gave a grim smile as his fist connected with the boy's stomach. The dark haired Hardy heard the boy spew out curse words before he tried to claw Frank's face. This time, the elder Hardy grabbed the boy's arm and twisted it around his back, forcing the boy to give an involuntary yell. When Frank decided he had enough, he let the boy drop to the ground and left the dark clothed boy wheezing and grasping his shoulder in tender pain.

"It's not over Hardy," the boy managed to gasp before Frank kicked him in the back and made his way to the van. He tapped on the car door and Faith jumped, stunned at the sudden sound. It had been quiet in the van, the silence almost consuming her. She faced away from the fight that her brother had been fighting, just staring at the wheel of the van.

"Faith, can you unlock the door?" Frank muttered impatiently. Numb, Faith did as asked and Frank hopped into the driver's seat before locking the door again. He was about to say something when the expression on his sister's face shocked him into complete silence, his voice leaving him. Faith's face was paler than a white sheet of paper, her eyes wide in shock and her pupils slightly dilated. Her hands were tightly gripping the strap of her school bag that lay on the floor beside her feet. Frank could feel his heart ripping to shreds, the feeling of helplessness overwhelming. He didn't know what to do as he turned on the van's engine. The new noise startled Faith, although she was careful not to show it. She didn't want her brother worrying even more about her. They already worried enough.

"Err...are you okay?" Frank asked stupidly a few moments later. The silence was killing him. He had wanted to say something, anything and it was the first thing that entered his mind. The eldest Hardy wished that Faith would open up to him. There was so much more he wanted to know about her ordeal in the summer. Little did Faith know how much her older brother truly cared about her. Frank wasn't the type of person to openly show his affection, unless your name was Callie Shaw or Joe Hardy. He found it harder to relate to his sister, although he didn't know why. Yet, that didn't stop him from lying in bed every night, wondering how Faith was truly coping. His younger sister merely nodded, showing her brother that she was indeed, not okay.

* * *

><p>When the pair arrived home, Faith nodded in thanks before retiring to her room. She had said nothing throughout the entire journey home, making it feel like the trip lasted two hours instead of the mere five minutes. As Frank killed the engine when they pulled into the Hardy driveway, it was as if Faith couldn't get away fast enough. Frank sighed, running a hand through his wavy brown hair as he walked into his younger brother's room. Joe's cheerful greeting died on his lips as he caught the expression on his elder brother's face.<p>

"What happened?" he asked bluntly. Frank gave another sigh as he recounted his story. For once, Joe didn't interrupt or make any comments or ask any stupid Joe questions while Frank was speaking. It was a rarity in the household, but Frank was glad that Joe was taking it seriously.

"That's rough," Joe muttered once Frank had finished speaking. That's an understatement, Frank thought resignedly as he flopped onto Joe's bed. Joe couldn't think of much else to say as he tried to come to the realization of Frank's story. He felt a wave of anger sweep through him. Hadn't the Firm hurt her enough? Although Faith wasn't ever going to admit it, they had broken her. She didn't have to say anything either, it was rather obvious. Of course, everyone at school thought she was the smart, happy-go-lucky type of optimistic girl who always had something nice to say about everyone, and even though that was the case, there was so much more to that. Joe could see the pain that was etched in her deep blue eyes every morning as the bags under her eyes grew slightly bigger. While she told them that she was fine, every ounce of Joe's being was wanting to yell at her and say that she indeed was not fine. And there was nothing wrong with being broken, as long as you were going to fixed. And Joe was pretty damn determined to get his sister 'fixed.'

"What are we going to do about Faith?" Frank asked as he ran a hand through his hair once more. Joe thought for a moment, stepping out of his worried reverie. It was evident that Faith was a lot closer to Joe even though her personality reflected the eldest Hardy more. Joe was actually quite surprised that Faith got along with her more, as Frank definitely fitted into the 'amazing big brother' category. The blonde haired boy was quite unsure how to act like the older brother, but he knew that he loved his sister to death and would do anything to protect her. That seemed like enough.  
>"We just have to be there I guess," Joe answered slowly, not knowing what to say. He was angry. Angry at himself. He should be looking after Faith, after all he was her big brother. It didn't help that Faith was shying away from them. Until she was about eleven, Faith and Alicia followed their brothers everywhere. Although Joe found her more of a nuisance the whole time, he secretly felt proud that his sister looked up to him and Frank. He had known a few guys in his football team with sisters that they never even talked to. While when Joe was at his angriest, he wished Faith wasn't so clingy, but he could never imagine not talking to his own sister. Blood is thicker than water after all. But when Frank and Joe started high school, things were different. There was suddenly more to life than playing in the backyard with their friends and sister. There were parties, homework, sports. Girls. When Frank met Callie Shaw in sophomore year, his life suddenly got a whole lot better. The same year, Joe and Iola started dating. Slowly but surely, the boys were losing contact with their sister, although they didn't seem to realize it. Days that were filled with helping Faith with her homework, playing football in the local park and hide and seek at midnight were now days filled with piles of their own homework, parties to attend, football games to play and dates to go to. Faith was happy that her two dorky brothers had gotten girlfriends that she knew and liked but she was fully aware of the reputation they had created at high school. She had started worrying about living up to such high expectations so she started to push herself harder in middle school. Sometimes, it was a good thing, other times...it wasn't. She was never going to admit it, but sometimes she hated being a Hardy with a passion. Nobody liked being compared to, especially by their overachieving elder sibling, but when you had two, it deemed a lot harder. Not only did Faith have the academic side to push harder with, but the athletic side also. She wasn't exactly the type who enjoyed running around for hours, chasing a ball and kicking it around a field. Yet, she joined the soccer team almost out of pressure. Nobody was forcing her to play, but the pressure was there. Inevitable.<p>

"We've been bad brothers," Joe whispered finally, speaking the truth Frank had been thinking all along. The blonde haired boy sighed before putting his head in his hands.

"We're just going to have to make it up to her then, won't we?" Frank replied in an attempt to be cheerful. Both boys couldn't deny the truth. They had failed as brothers. Not to each other, but to their little sister who needed them the most.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Sorry for being inconsistent with my updates. Life is getting pretty hectic. This isn't really an important chapter, kind of a filler. It shall get more interesting next chapter, I promise (:

**Disclaimer:** ... Really?

**Chapter Four**  
>Saturday came faster than Faith expected. She had told her family of her date the day after Levi asked, their reactions both amusing and confusing. Her mom was overjoyed that a boy had actually asked her, while her father wasn't even home to hear the news.<p>

"Uh, are you sure about this?" Joe asked, doubt etched in his voice. Not only was he still feeling guilty about the 'incident', as he referred to it, but he was feeling like he wasn't doing his duty as a big brother properly. Heck, he hardly knew what classes she took. Faith raised an eyebrow at her blonde haired older brother. They hadn't talked further about the 'incident.' Although both of her brother's had tried talking to her about it, she'd pale and quickly try to change the subject. After a day or two, they decided to just give it up. There was no point asking her if she wasn't going to answer. Yet, it didn't mean that they were going to stop searching.

"Don't you think it's a good idea?" she had asked him.

"No, I mean..." Joe mumbled, trying to find the right words.

"Are you sure it's going to be safe going with him alone?" Frank asked quickly before Faith could question Joe's incoherent babble. The youngest Hardy got the wrong idea and frowned.

"Yes Frank. I don't think Levi is going to kidnap or brutally murder me," Faith replied plainly, rolling her eyes. Frank felt a tiny flash of anger and firmly told himself to calm down. He was just trying to be a big brother, for goodness sake.

"That's not what I mean," he stated, trying to sound comforting. "I just want to make sure that he's going to look after you." There was a moment of silence while everybody was consumed in their thoughts.

"He will," Faith replied softly before getting up and walking off. She didn't want to make her brothers angry or even concerned, but she was glad that they were taking time to make sure she was going to be okay.

* * *

><p>Alicia had ended up coming over to the Hardy household, more excited for her best friend than Faith was herself. She had been fussing over what her friend was going to wear, what her hair was going to look like. Everything.<p>

"Al, I got it sorted," Faith laughed when she saw her best friend jump up and down animatedly. They were so different; it was what made them alike. In physical looks alone, they couldn't be more different. Faith, with her long wavy dark hair, blue eyes, light tan and slim features and Alicia with her shorter, curly black hair, deep chocolate coloured eyes with a dark complexion and a shorter frame. Alicia was more outgoing and extraverted, preferring to be in the outdoors whereas Faith liked the protection of being indoors and liked to keep to herself.

"Sorted?" Alicia asked with an eyebrow raised as she looked at the pile of clothing on her friend's bed. She picked up a pair of faded black skinny jeans with her finger with distaste. "Jeans, really Faith?" she couldn't believe her friend sometimes. Alicia had… more experience with boys as she liked to put it. She already had a steady boyfriend, a jock called Trent, whom she'd been with for about two months already. But Faith, it was the first time she'd been asked out on a date. Alicia knew for a fact that her best friend was beautiful and that there was more than just Levi vying for her attention, but the thought of having to go through both Frank **and** Joe to get to her seemed to terrify most of them.

"What?" the youngest Hardy asked, looking at the jeans. "They are comfortable," she added with a shrug. Unlike her best friend, fashion didn't falter her. She was comfortable with jeans, track pants, t-shirts and jerseys while her best friend stayed true to the latest fashions with short skirts and pretty dresses.

"Oh cooome on Hardy!" Alicia sighed as she sat next to her dark haired friend, putting her arm around her shoulders. "We have to make you look super sexy tonight," she laughed, winking at her friend as Faith turned a deep red.

"Uh, no thanks. Jeans and t-shirt is fine," she argued, swatting her hand away playfully. Alicia didn't bother to reply as she took a piece of fabric out her bag. Intrigued, Faith leaned to see what her friend had bought. It was a high waisted skirt with black elastic around the top and a flowery material coming off it. She wasn't about to admit it, but she actually liked the look of the skirt.

"It's so pretty and I know it'll suit you. C'mon Faith. Levi is coming in an hour, try it?" Alicia handed Faith the skirt with a smile. As Faith rolled her eyes, sometimes she wondered why they were such good friends.

* * *

><p>Levi waited nervously at the front of the Hardy's door. He could feel his palms starting to sweat as he quickly wiped them on his jeans. He couldn't believe that he'd managed to actually get a date with Faith Hardy. There were more than a few boys on his soccer team that were jealous that he had found the courage to ask one of the most beautiful girls in their year. He thought it was more stupidity and impulse than courage, but he didn't bother to argue. Before he could contradict with himself further, he pressed the doorbell. He heard the fainting ringing sound as he waited for a few moments before the door was opened. Frank was standing there, looking less than pleased. He cautiously eyed up the boy who was standing in front of him. Dark, unruly hair with a tall yet muscular frame and a light tan. Levi was wearing dark jeans, a white t-shirt and a black leather jacket with black converse high tops, looking a bit more formal than what he looked at school, with board shorts and printed shirts.<p>

"Uh, hey," Levi greeted Frank Hardy awkwardly. Inwardly, he slapped himself. What was wrong with him? He wanted to make a good impression on her family, yet here he was, making a complete and total fool out of himself. He looked at his shoes, trying to feel slightly better. He felt Frank eye him up and down, as if he was scanning him and it made him feel even more uncomfortable. Levi didn't quite enjoy the feeling of being analyzed.

"Hey," the eldest Hardy replied evenly. He didn't like this, he didn't like this one bit. Not only did he think that Faith wasn't old enough to date, but also because he didn't know anything about this guy. For all they knew, he could be some stalker and be in cohorts with the man who followed her the other day. There was a small part of Frank's brain that was telling him that he was just overreacting and becoming paranoid, but he brushed the thought away. He could still feel the slight pang of guilt from the 'incident.'

"Levi," the young boy finally introduced himself, sticking his hand out. He had no idea what else to say or do.

"Come in," Frank replied in a calm tone, although inside he wanted to slam the front door in the boy's face. Levi dropped his hand back to his side before entering the Hardy household. He took a second to take in his surroundings. The wallpaper in the hallway was a light cream colour, with a painting of a beachside on one wall and a few family portraits of the Hardys on another. Levi couldn't help but smile wryly as he glanced at the picture. The pictures were taken at one of those professional photography places and they didn't seem too out of date, about two or three years tops. The biggest photo was the while family portrait. Fenton and Laura Hardy were seated in the middle, Fenton wearing dress pants and a white polo shirt while Laura was dressed in a flowing cream dress. Frank was standing behind his mother with his hand on her shoulder, the white polo he was wearing matching his fathers, as did Joe's. The blonde haired Hardy was standing behind his father, the grin on his face bright. Lastly, Faith was in the middle of her brothers, her hair, shorter back then, hanging loosely to shoulder length. He couldn't help but notice that she still looked as amazing two years ago.

"Hey," he heard Faith said softly, her voice slipping him out of his own reverie. He turned around and saw her standing there shyly.

"Hey," he replied, giving her a smile. She looked stunning, he couldn't help but think. He was used to seeing her in casual clothing but here she was, dressed in a high waisted skirt, a white singlet and knitted cardigan. Her wavy hair was twisted into soft curls, framing her beautiful face. He gave her a quick wink, causing her to turn a light shade of red. Frank cleared his throat loudly, snapping the pair out of their funk.

"Where are you two going?" he asked, his tone demanding. He didn't mean to sound that harsh, but he thought that this boy better know what he was getting himself into. Frank suddenly wondered if Faith ever though this harshly about Callie, or even Vanessa but he pushed those thoughts away as he raised his eyebrow at Levi.

"Uh, the carnival is in town and I thought I'd take Faith there," Levi replied evenly, trying his best not to sound annoyed. The carnival had been set up since yesterday morning, yet he wanted to surprise her. Frank nodded. Okay, so it was the carnival. He wasn't too interested in going but he knew that his group of friends was going to be there, and he suddenly found a reason to go.

"What time are you bringing her home?" Frank asked.

"Nine thirty, is that okay?" Faith replied quickly before Levi could say a word. She was slightly pleased that Frank was being so protective, but it was a bit much. Frank caught the annoyed look in his sister's eyes and quickly got the message.

"Sounds good," he said, softening up. He remembered his first date with Callie, how nervous he had been. Frank had even practiced what he was going say in front of the mirror, and oh the grief he got when Joe walked in on him stuttering pick up lines in the bathroom. He wondered just how nervous Levi would be, especially with two intimidating older brothers to get past. Even though Frank wasn't a fan of threatening people, he knew the reputation he and his brother seemed to have created. He planted a kiss on his sister's forehead.

"Have fun baby sister," he teased as he saw her roll her eyes. Faith couldn't help but smile and give her brother a tight hug. Even though he had initially been a pain, she knew that his conscience got to him fast. Callie sure made sure of that.

"Thanks Frank, I'll see ya later," she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before grabbing Levi's hand and tugging him out the door.

* * *

><p>The pair walked down Elm Street, towards the main centre of Bayport.<p>

"Excuse Frank," Faith started to apologize, feeling embarrassed about her brother's uncharacteristic behaviour. Sure, if it was Joe, it'd be more understandable. Although, like Frank, he kept his emotions well hidden, he had tendency to speak his mind. Levi's reaction shocked the youngest Hardy.

"It's okay. I know I'll be the same when one of my younger sisters gets asked out," he grinned, meaning it. His sisters were only young, Layla was only five and Lily was nine and he couldn't bear to think of his baby sisters growing up. Faith gave a laugh, relieved that Levi was taking it so lightly. The pair reached the carnival about five minutes later, the Bayport Memorial Park transformed. Instead of a large field of grass dotted with trees and park benches, there were amusement rides such as a large Ferris wheel coloured by flashing lights, a bouncy castle painted neon, a whirling cup and tea pot ride to name a few. Stalls dotted the area selling various kinds of food, toys, clothing and handmade jewelry. There were even a few vendors for hotdogs and cotton candy. But no carnival could be complete without a haunted house and a romantic swan ride for couples along Bayport Lake that was near the edge of the park.

"So where shall we go first, m'lady?" Levi asked in a faux British accent as he bowed in front of his date. To his joy, Faith giggled as she took his hand. Although things were a bit awkward to begin with, it didn't last long and all feelings of nervousness were soon washed away.

"Hmmm, I'm not too sure sir," she replied, a smile beaming on her face. She couldn't quite remember the last time she had felt so giddy. Although she wasn't complaining.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, pulling her a little bit closer. Levi was usually a lot more cautious and careful with what he did, but he thought that it wouldn't hurt to be a little spontaneous.

"Not so much," Faith replied, but after a second of thinking she added, "But cotton candy sounds good." Levi smiled.

"Cotton candy it is."

* * *

><p>Frank Hardy arrived at the carnival about twenty minutes after Faith and Levi left the house. He hurried into the van, not bothering to change out of the black polo and jeans he had been wearing all day. Before heading to the carnival, he stopped by at Callie's house, which fortunately was on the way to the carnival. After killing the engine, he hopped out of the van and tapped on the Shaw's front door impatiently.<p>

"Frank," Callie couldn't help but hide the surprise in her voice. Although she was happy to see her boyfriend, she didn't expect him. They both had a chemistry exam the coming Monday and hadn't made any previous plans.

"Hey," he greeted, giving her a quick kiss on the lips. "What about we go to the carnival?" he added, with a wink. Callie raised an eyebrow. Something had to be up. Frank was not a spontaneous boy, enjoying having plans and sticking to them. For him to suggest to go to the carnival of all things, was very uncharacteristic of him.

"Sure," she replied with a smile. Before he could say anything, she continued. "I know you Frank Hardy. What gives?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest. Frank frowned. He wasn't exactly in the mood to be explaining his reasons.

"Uh, you said you wanted to go to the carnival. Can't I surprise my beautiful girlfriend with a date?" he complimented, but Callie wasn't buying it.

"Not unless there's something involved. A new case?" she guessed. Callie Shaw was very aware of the Hardys following in their father's footsteps, rather successfully to and had been involved in more than one of their many cases, although sometimes she was quite reluctant. Frank sighed.

"I'll tell you in the car, are we going or not?" he asked, rather exasperated. Callie fought the urge to be a pain.

"I'm coming. Frank Hardy, you better have a good explanation," she muttered as she grabbed her cardigan. The two jumped into the van and headed off. Frank, although reluctant, started to explain himself.

"Frank!" Callie exclaimed, her voice hinted with anger and annoyance.

"What?" Frank replied, trying to sound innocent as he turned a corner.

"You're dragging me to the carnival. For the sole reason you want to spy on your sister's date!" Callie exclaimed, furious. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Sure, he was protective, but that was no excuse to spy on Faith's first date.

"C'mon Callie," he tried to reason, finally realizing how stupid it sounded. "I'm just trying to make sure she's safe. And I did want to go out with you." Callie sighed.

"Sure sure," she replied plainly. Sometimes, she couldn't believe she was dating such a boy.

* * *

><p>"I still can't believe you're making me do this Frank Hardy," Blonde haired Callie muttered to her boyfriend as they entered the carnival. Frank couldn't help but sigh as he put his arm around her shoulders.<p>

"To be fair, I wasn't forcing you into anything," he replied, pulling her close. Callie pushed him away playfully.

"We are spying on your sister," she said evenly, her eyebrows raised. Frank couldn't help but grin as he attempted to bring her closer.

"C'mon Shaw, you can't stay mad at me," he teased as he pressed his lips against hers.

"Frank Hardy! What is this public display of affection I see?" Hearing Joe's voice, the pair pulled apart, their faces both flushed. Joe raised an eyebrow as he walked closer to his older brother. He knew that something was up. Frank had specifically said earlier in the week that he _wasn't _going to the carnival. Yet, here he was.

"Er, hey Joe," Frank gave his blonde haired brother a little wave, feeling slightly foolish.

"What brings you here?" Joe asked, his eyebrows knitted together in suspicion. The eldest Hardy knew that there would be no point in lying. Callie wouldn't let him off with that and Joe could see through him like a newly polished sheet of glass, so there was no use. He thought about how he was going to word things. As he was about to open his mouth, his blonde haired girlfriend answered for him.

"He's spying on Faith's date," she muttered, her tone filled with disgust as she folded her arms across her chest. The blonde haired boy stood there for a moment, not quite sure how to react. Like his brother, he was also rather reluctant for Faith's first date, but he trusted her, even though he didn't trust Levi. He wasn't sure whether he was being overprotective or his instincts had kicked in, but there didn't seem to be something right with that boy. He had asked Chet about the soccer playing teen, but his friend had assured Joe that Levi was a nice guy who was reliable. Yet, for some reason, he just couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong with him. The thought had never occurred to him to spy on them. That was just showing a major lack of faith in his sister, and it was just plain mean.

"You're kidding, right? Callie, c'mon. Frank wouldn't do something like that. You wouldn't do something like that," the younger Hardy babbled in disbelief. Callie was just trolling. Frank wasn't _spying _on his sister. No, that's not what Frank does, but when he glanced at his older brother, he knew that Callie had been speaking the truth. He could tell from Frank's rigid posture and how the elder Hardy gulped before running a hand through his dark brown locks. "Frank," the blue eyed teen started in a low tone. "That's just low, especially for you." Frank rolled his eyes as he stuck a hand in his pocket, feeling more than slightly annoyed. He wasn't 'spying' as Callie had so bluntly put it, he was making sure that his sister was safe. It was obvious that he was less than pleased that his girlfriend had accused him of such, as he knew how Joe was going to react. They didn't understand. Heck, Frank thought ruefully. He wasn't sure if _he _understood. He just wanted to do everything in his power to make sure that his sister was safe. That she wasn't going to be so harshly taken away from them again. The elder Hardy wouldn't know what to do if it happened again. When she had been taken, he was more than beside himself with worry. Frank barely slept nor ate, focusing every cell in his being to finding his sister. If it happened again, Frank wasn't sure he could live with himself. Clearing his throat, he opened his mouth to retort, but at the last second, he just stopped and glared.

"Never mind, okay?" he muttered with a low growl.

"No, explain," Joe replied, rather firmly as he crossed his arms over his chest. He was perplexed about Frank's behavior. Usually, it was him who was the impulsive teen, and Frank was the one who questioned his motives. Today, the roles were reversed and Joe didn't like it.

"Later," Frank replied in a warning tone. It wasn't the time, nor the place to be talking about such a personal matter, in Frank's opinion. They'd discuss it later, in the comfort of their van. Or at home. Joe was tempted to press the matter, to push his brother but he could tell by the dark look in Frank's eyes that there would be no point in bothering. He wasn't going to push his brother's buttons any further, although the temptation was high.

"Listen Joe," Frank began, starting to feel rather exasperated. "Faith isn't going to find out. I'm not going to tell her. Callie isn't. And I'm very sure that you aren't going to either." As if on cue, the youngest of the Hardys appeared, with Levi trailing behind her. She and her date had just been on a few rides and it wasn't going to take a genius to figure out that the pair were enjoying their time together. Faith had taken the obsidian haired boy's hand as they weaved their way through the small crowd to where her brothers and Callie had stood. She wasn't too surprised to see Joe around. He loved carnival food, well he loved** any** food, and Vanessa had apparently been excited to come to the carnival. The dark haired girl had expected that Callie was going to come, but Frank was the last person she'd been expecting. He knew that he was busy and wasn't a fan of the colorful event that came around every six or so months. There was a dark look in Frank's eyes as he glared at his brother that Faith couldn't miss and by Joe's foot impatiently tapping on the grass, she knew that something had happened. Even though the pair were the best of friends, they tended to have little petty arguments over things that hardly mattered.

"Hey guys. Frank, what are you doing here?" Faith asked good-naturedly as she neared her brothers. Frank glanced at her, before glancing at his girlfriend. He wasn't the best person at lying, and he was definitely going to be caught out now. Like Joe, Faith could read him like a book. Instead of answering, he glanced at his sister's hand, in which was intertwined with Levi's. Frank raised his eyebrows and watched as Faith's face burned a fiery red before she pulled her hand away.

"Yeah Frank, what _are _you doing here?" Joe asked, giving him an innocent look. He wasn't particularly pleased with his older brother at the moment and even though he wasn't about to rat him out, he wanted Faith to know the truth. She deserved to know.

"Well. Uh," For once, Frank was at a loss for words. It was a rarity for any of the Hardys to do so, making Faith immediately suspicious. She couldn't help but notice the guilty glance that Frank was giving the ground, as if it suddenly became the most important thing to him. She thought for a second, the pieces fitting together. She crossed her arms, now furious.

"Frank Christopher Hardy, I hope you aren't here for the reason I think you are," she muttered darkly, glaring at her oldest brother. Frank inhaled sharply, knowing from the moment his full name had been spoken, that he had been caught out. He ran a hand through his hand, wondering how he was going to get out of this mess. Assuming that he was going to get out of this mess. He gave a small wry smile.

"I did it for a good reason," he gave a little shrug, trying to sound as apologetic as possible. There was silence for a minute. The eldest Hardy glanced up at his sister and immediately regretted his decision. He could that she had bitten her tongue, suppressing the tears that were threatening to pool out of her shimmering blue eyes. Her frown turned into a little 'o' of shock as she took a step or two back. This wasn't Frank's normal behavior. Following her on her first date seemed like the type of thing that Joe would think of doing, but she knew that he would **never **do it. Yet, her oldest brother had surprised her. She couldn't help but swallow the lump that was forming in her throat as she pushed her emotions down. She had never felt so betrayed or disappointed. Words could barely express the hurt she was feeling. She stood there for what seemed like eternity, just staring at her oldest brother. What had driven him to this point of insanity? What had she possibly done wrong for him not to trust her? She shook the last thought off. No, this wasn't her fault.

"Levi," she murmured, when her voice had finally come back to her. "Please take me home," with that, she turned on her heel to walk the other direction. Frank tried to call out and follow her, but a strong arm held him back. He glanced down and realized that it was Joe who had created the barrier.

"Joe, let me go," he growled, trying to push past. Joe was having none of it, stepping in front of his older brother.

"No. You've hurt her enough okay? It's the last thing she needed," he said, his voice sounding low and accusing. The blonde haired boy gave him a slight shove as he walked past his brother. Joe's words had hit Frank harder than any punch ever did, simply because they were so true. His sister was in pain again, but this time. It was all his fault.

* * *

><p><strong><span>AN** Meh. Not my best work, sorry. Apologies if it is OOC


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Here's the new chapter (: I'm sorry my updates come at weird times, but life isn't always as co-operative. I have my mock exams in two weeks, so there may or may not be an update before then. Sorry. Hope the new chapter is more exciting.

**Disclaimer:** Nein own.

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><p>Joe's eyes widened as he re-read the newspaper headline.<p>

"Frank!" he called out urgently, never taking his eyes off the paper. When Frank heard his younger brother's voice, he was pulled out of the reverie he was in. The dark haired boy had been thinking about his younger sister, a lot. Five days had passed since the carnival incident and he hadn't managed to get into her good books yet. _At least she's talking to me again,_ recalled Frank with a glum sigh. The day after the incident, the youngest Hardy barely bat an eyelid in her oldest brother's direction, adding to Frank's already heavily guilty conscience. He had tried to talk to her, but no avail. After two days of no eye contact with Frank, she had finally decided to talk to him. It wasn't what Frank had expected, as her first words were '_Pass the salt_' but he decided that was better than nothing. Frank Hardy was racking his brain, trying to figure out exactly how to make it up to his sister, but there was no progress.

"What is it Joe?" the eldest Hardy replied as he made his way into the kitchen, steaming cup of coffee in hand. The blonde haired boy hadn't said a word, but merely nodded his head towards the newspaper that was splayed across the kitchen bench. Raising an eyebrow, Frank neared his brother and glanced at the newspaper. He was truly intrigued to see what had his brother so worked up. Joe wasn't quite the avid reader, to say the least.

**ANOTHER PORT HIGHLAND TEENAGER MISSING **

Frank skimmed through the article, a few words popping out at him. He frowned as he read over the description once more. An eighteen year old high school student with the name Yolanda Harris had been abducted while on her way home from cheerleading practice. She had been expecting home at around seven thirty that night, but she had not come. A chill ran down Frank's spine. The feeling was so familiar. _Just like what happened to Faith, _he couldn't help but think. He knew exactly how her family must be feeling. Knowing that their daughter, their sister was out there, being hurt was probably the most terrifying feeling. It was like a giant boulder being held at the pit of your stomach. Frank could recall the way the whole household had changed when his own sister had been taken. All the Hardys would collectively jump at the sound of their phone ringing. There would be the accusing glances at each other, daring one another to pick up the phone. Nobody knew who would be on the other side, or what possible news they could have, but that thought just worried each Hardy more than they ever cared to admit. The sound of Joe clearing his voice brought Frank back to the present.

"This looks pretty dodgy bro," Joe muttered. Frank shot him an 'are-you-serious' glance. Although he loved his brother to death, it annoyed him how Joe would constantly state the obvious, as if Frank couldn't figure it out himself.

"No really," he couldn't help but retort sarcastically. Joe rolled his eyes.

"I think we should talk to dad about this," he replied, jumping off his seat and making his way to the phone. Fenton was off at another case, but was thankfully only going to be away for only two or three days. He hadn't been home the night of his daughter's date, so he had no idea of the tension that was currently in his household.

"Pick up," Joe mumbled under his breath as he pressed the phone to his ear. He too, was thinking about his sister's disappearance. The all too familiar feeling of dread had settled into the pit of his stomach when he had first caught sight of the newspaper. The younger Hardy wasn't a fan of reading morning papers, but when he saw the word 'missing', curiosity got the better of him.

"Fenton Hardy," he heard the sound of his father's voice and breathed a sigh of relief that he hadn't noticed he was holding.

"Hey dad. I wanted to talk to you about something, are you busy?"

"No, what's up?" There was a touch of concern in Fenton's voice. Taking a deep breath, Joe began to explain what he had read in the paper and the involvement that both he and his brother wanted in the case. Fenton listened patiently, waiting for his son to finish his explanation. Once finished, he thought for a moment before replying.

"Funny you mentioned that. I'm in Portland now, on that exact case. I'm coming home tonight and we'll discuss what you can do," he said. Joe grinned and Frank tapped his foot impatiently. He was standing next to his brother, wondering what his dad had said.

"Okay, we'll see you tonight," Joe replied and pressed the 'end call' button.

* * *

><p>The male Hardys found themselves in Fenton's office at around 10pm that same evening. He had come home much later than he expected and it was the first time in a few days that both boys could take a good look at their father. He looked rather tired, as if he wasn't getting any sleep. The creases of worry in his forehead seemed to have deepened within the last week and his eyes were dim. The newspaper article was splayed across the table with various other notes that Fenton had acquired from the case.<p>

"So, tell me all you boys know about the case," Fenton started, rubbing his fingers against his forehead. There was a splitting headache that was forming due to the lack of sleep and all the stress from the case. Joe and Frank looked at each other, shrugging. They had both spent the afternoon doing a bit of research, but they didn't come up with many results. Most of the newspaper articles said the same thing in different ways.

"Well, not much," Frank began. "We know that another girl went missing about a week ago, but that's all." He had found an article about Milly Severson, another senior student who had gone missing in Klicksville. She was coming home from school one day, but she just didn't come. Both boys were trying to figure out the similarities to the cases, but it was proving difficult. With no photos or additional information, there was just no proof that the cases were related. Frank was hoping that his dad would help them out.

"Well, there are some major similarities to both of the girls," Fenton stated with a flat tone, handing his sons a photo of each girl. Joe held a picture of Yolanda Harris, while Frank had Milly Severson. The blonde haired boy immediately started listing their similarities in his mind. They were both stunning girls, with wavy blonde hair. They had a similar face shape and impish features. Their eyes were both a sparkling blue and their smiles could melt any boy's heart. Joe felt the all too familiar tug on his heart as he stared at the girl. Frank glanced at his brother, wondering if they were thinking the same thing. The first thing that came to the eldest Hardy's mind was the fact that both girls had a massive resemblance to Callie. He immediately felt selfish of thinking of his girlfriend when these girls' lives might be at stake. He quickly pushed the thought away, instead focusing on the girls. Yolanda's picture was taken at what looked like her school grounds. She was wearing a bright green jersey, black tights and knee high leather boots. Whatever she was smiling about, it looked like she was joyful. At her feet, was a pair of black and blue pom-poms, suggesting she was a part of the cheerleading team. Milly was seated on a bench at a local park, holding a black Yorkshire terrier in her arms. She was wearing a jacket with 'Klicksville High' written on it and a cheerleading skirt.

"They look alike," Joe said, rather slowly. He wasn't quite sure what to say. Some people could be taken on the basis of their looks, but it was usually a personality trait or skill they had.

"Do you have any leads?" Frank asked, prying his eyes off the picture to look up at his father. The tired man shook his head.

"I've been trying to get some over the past two days, but since there were no witnesses…" he trailed off, trying to stifle a yawn. The past few days had not been kind to the man. Spending all day at the Harris household was not much help, except for finding information about the young girl who had gone missing. He had gone to Yolanda's school, but again, there was no avail. Fenton had tried to talk to her principle and a few of her teachers, but there really wasn't anything that anyone could say. He was hoping that his sons were keen to get involved with case. It would make his load lighter and he'd be able to ask them to question Yolanda and Milly's friends.

"What are you two going to be doing this weekend?" Fenton asked, glancing at his sons. He rubbed his temples once more, yearning for rest in the coming days, although it looked unlikely. He saw his sons' glance at each other, as if silently conversing. Frank was starting to get worried about his dad. He knew that his dad was awfully dedicated to his job, but it seemed like he had way too much on his plate.

"I've got a football game Friday night, but that's all. Do you want us to go and visit Port Highland?" Joe replied after a second of thought. He had caught onto his father's train of thought, much to Fenton's relief. He nodded, briefly glancing at his eldest son. Frank already seemed to be creating an agenda in his mind. He hadn't been to Port Highland before, but he knew that it was around a forty five minute drive. If they took the van and left at around nine, they'd arrive just before ten. It'd give them a decent amount of the day to talk to her friends and other family members and they'd probably be home before six, giving Frank time to go on a dinner date with Callie. It sounded like a good plan. Frank quickly explained to his brother and father his plan and they both nodded in agreement. Satisfied, both of the boys started to stand up. Fenton quickly motioned them to stay seated. Frank and Joe glanced at each other, wondering what else they needed to talk about. There was another matter entirely that the elder Hardy wanted to discuss with his sons.

"How's Faith?" Fenton asked, in a rather low tone. He felt like a bad father, having to ask about his daughter's life since he wasn't home to witness any of it. He had gotten a phone call earlier in the day from Dr Bates. He had quickly talked about her appointment last week and how it went. Dr Bates also mentioned that he suggested that Faith go and see a physiatrist. That thought worried Fenton deeply. Was his daughter really that broken that she needed professional help? There was also the matter of some sleeping pills that Faith had been prescribed, but he hadn't heard of them. Frank and Joe glanced at each other, wondering what to say. The younger Hardy wanted to tell his father about all his worries concerning his sister. There was a number of things, ranging from her sleeping issues, to her nightmares and the almost kidnapping and then there was always the most threatening discussion. About Levi. Before Joe could open his mouth, however, there was a small knock on the door. All three of the Hardy males couldn't help but jump slightly at the sound that had broken their silence.

"Come in," Fenton called. The door was pushed open slightly, and Faith appeared. She looked relatively happy, dressed in her pajamas and dark dressing gown, carrying a tray with three mugs. There was steam coming off all three, the smell of coffee and hot chocolate wafting through the air.

"Hey daddy," she greeted her father, walking over to his side. She set the tray down and gave her dad a hug. He smiled as he hugged her back. As she straightened up, Fenton couldn't help but notice how innocent she looked. Her dark hair was messily tied up into a high ponytail and there was a twinkle in her eyes that her father hadn't seen in a long time.

"Hey baby girl. What's this?" he asked as he pointed at the tray. The youngest Hardy gave a little shrug.

"Mom asked me to make all three of you guys something to drink. I know that you love coffee dad, so I made you one. It's in the blue mug," she paused, handing her now contented father the mug. He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead before she continued, this time facing her brothers. "I know Frank doesn't like milk in his coffee, so here's yours," she handed him a steaming cup filled with plain black coffee. Frank took it gratefully, it was just how he liked it. "And Joe, I wanted to make you coffee, but then mom mentioned how late it was and how hyper you can get, so I just made you a hot chocolate," Faith handed her brother the last cup and Joe smiled.

"Thanks," Joe replied, putting the photo he forgot that he was even holding in the first place, on the table. As all three of the Hardy males started to drink their hot drinks, Faith took the liberty of glancing at whatever was on the table. There was the newspaper that dated from this morning, with bits highlighted here and there. She saw two open notebooks, both filled with her father's scribbles. There were also two pictures on the table, the ones that her brothers were holding before. She picked up the one of Yolanda and studied it carefully.

"Is this a new case?" she asked to no-one in particular. Fenton nodded, setting the blue mug onto the table. "She looks a bit like Callie, don't you reckon?" she mumbled after a few seconds. Frank's head shot up, concern piercing his dark eyes and Faith immediately felt stupid for saying anything. In an attempt to save his daughter from embarrassment, Fenton faced her.

"Actually, we were talking about you before you came in," he started. Faith raised an eyebrow, sitting on the arm-rest of her blonde haired brother's seat.

"Oh?" she said in a rather committal tone. She was seriously wondering what her brothers and father were discussing. Especially if it was about her. Her mind drifted off to the 'incident.' Since then, she had made it a point that she was never alone. Instead of walking home alone from soccer practices, she would walk with Levi. If there was anything she needed to do, she'd invite Alicia to help her out and her best friend was happy to help.

"I talked to Dr Bates. He mentioned something about sleeping pills. He asked me if you were taking them," Fenton replied, crossing his arms across his chest. He glanced at his sons to see their reaction. Frank's eyes immediately narrowed as he glanced at his sister. Joe's face scrunched into a look of confusion. He hadn't seen any sleeping pills in the house, let alone knew that his sister was taking them. Faith paled slightly, staring at the ground.

"Sleeping pills?" Frank echoed, turning to face his sister. Faith swallowed.

"Uh. Yeah. I was going to go and get them when that creep started following me, so I haven't gotten them yet," she lied, avoiding anyone's eye. Joe heard the strain in his sister's voice and immediately knew she wasn't telling the truth. As he was about to open his mouth in protest, Fenton had spoken up.

"What creep?" he asked, rather sharply. Fenton started to wonder if his work was suddenly becoming all too much. There was no point trying to save other people's lives when he couldn't even keep his own daughter in tact. Frank shot his younger sister a sharp look. He hadn't mentioned anything about the 'incident' to his father yet. He was keen to discuss it with his dad, however, he wanted to talk about it with his father when it was just the two of them. Nobody said anything for a moment and Fenton Hardy glared at his children, impatiently waiting for an answer. Surprisingly, Faith was the first to speak up and tell her father about the incident. She spoke softly and at some times, Fenton struggled to hear what she was saying. When she had finally finished, Fenton took a moment to process all that information. There was a sick feeling that was starting to form in the pit of his stomach. All thoughts of any cases flew out the window and the only thing he was focused on was the fact that some creeper tried to kidnap his daughter. His only daughter. His baby girl. Fenton could feel his stomach churning at the thought of his daughter being kidnapped again. It was sort of like _Déjà vu_ to him. The dark haired man had often felt this ill feeling whenever one of his children was in pain or in danger. Yet, the feeling seemed to be four times worse when it was concerning Faith. It was probably due to the fact that she was the youngest. The most innocent. The most vulnerable. When his sons were in danger, he always knew that they were going to think of some cunning plan to get out the mess that they had usually gotten themselves into, but Faith was another matter entirely.

"Have you reported anything to the police?" he asked a few minutes later, surprised that his vocal cords were still working. Frank and Joe glanced at each other guiltily. Without any words, Fenton guessed that they hadn't. He stood up abruptly, pushing his chair back loudly and breaking the silence.

"When I find this guy, and I will, I am going tear him apart limb from limb," he muttered darkly, before walking out of his office to have a chat with a certain Ezra Collig.


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Sorry for not updating :/ Life is getting busy with final exams coming up soon. I'll hopefully be posting at least once every two weeks. It's not the best chapter, sorry. Enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** As far as I'm concerned, I do in fact not own the Hardy Boys.

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><p>"Hey Frank!" Faith called, quickly grabbing her sports bag and rushing downstairs, nearly crashing into Joe in the process. Before she hurt herself or anyone else, Joe grabbed her shoulders to stop her.<p>

"Woah, calm down kiddo," he murmured as she tried to pry away from his grasp. She was already late for soccer and it was evident by the panicked look on her face, she was worried. Joe couldn't help but let out a laugh. She was utterly dense, just like their oldest brother. Joe thought. Faith did not take too kindly at being laughed at. She punched her blonde haired brother hard in the arm.

"Where's Frank? He promised to take me to soccer and pick me up," Faith told him, tying her hair up in a quick high ponytail. Joe paled slightly. Crap, he thought. They'd forgotten that their mom had asked the both of them to take care of their sister today, as she was at a work related conference and wasn't home for the weekend. Faith noticed her brother's look and immediately knew they'd forgotten about her. She clamped her mouth shut, trying to bite back a retort of anger. Ah, the beauty of being a Hardy, she thought rather harshly while she waited for Joe's poor excuse of an apology to come flying out of his mouth.

"Uh, we're actually going to Port Highland today and we won't be home until around six," Joe replied, rubbing his hand across the back of his head awkwardly. He hated whenever he forgot things like that, especially at times like this. Faith didn't say anything for a moment, but she shouldered her bag.

"Have fun then, I'll see you tonight," she muttered and ran out the door before Joe could say a word.

* * *

><p>The soccer grounds were about a ten minute drive from the Hardy household, or a twenty minute run if Faith was fast. Her mouth had been set into a tight, grim line as she jogged through the town, doing her best not to run into any oncoming users of the sidewalk. If she had been thinking straight, she probably would've asked Alicia and Mrs Prito to come and pick her up, but it was too late for that. She was feeling incredibly annoyed at the moment, to say the least. What she found quite sad was the fact that she wasn't the least surprised that Frank had forgotten about her. Faith knew although her oldest brother was fiercely loyal, he had the tendency to forget things when he was on a case. Faith had no clue where her brothers were even going, but she had a sickening feeling that it meant that she was going to have to stay home on her own until they came back. She felt her stomach tighten at the mere thought, but she tried to ignore the feeling. Faith had never liked staying home on her own, even before the kidnapping. Now, she just couldn't. Maybe she could spend some time with Alicia, she thought as she turned another corner. While on her run, Faith's mind drifted off. She thought about her conversation with her brothers and father earlier on in the week. The sleeping pills. The prescription paper was now lying at the bottom of her rubbish bin, torn into half, before being scrunched up. Although Faith had promised both Dr. Bates and Alicia that she would go and get them, she couldn't bring herself to actually go and get them. Like Joe, the youngest Hardy didn't enjoy swallowing pills of any kind and certainly did not entertain the thought she could be dependent on pills to sleep. Some people called it stubborn, but there was no way that she was going to take them.<p>

Before she knew it, Faith had reached the soccer grounds. She saw that her team was only starting to warm up and breathed a sigh of relief while trying to gain her breath. Alicia had caught sight of her best friend and jogged over to her.

"Hey Faith, you're a bit late. Everything okay?" Alicia asked once she reached her dark haired friend. If Alicia was being honest, she was constantly concerned about the youngest Hardy. Even before the kidnapping. Even though Faith had never actually said anything about all the pressure that she had, Alicia knew it was there. It was pretty obivous. Alicia knew how she felt, having a pretty over-achieving brother like Tony also meant that people had expectations for her that she was never going to reach. She could barely imagine how Faith could live with all the demands of having not one, but two, extremely high achieving elder brothers that also happened to be amazing amateur detectives as well.

"Yeah, I'm fine Al, don't worry," Faith replied lamely, shrugging her sports bag off her shoulder and rubbing it tenderly. She could feel a small bruise forming where the strap had been. Alicia glanced at her best friend with a look of disbelief. Part of her wanted to argue with the dark haired girl, but she knew that it would be pointless.

"Right," she said instead, the tone of her voice suggesting that in fact, she did not believe Faith Hardy one bit.

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><p>The sound of the van door slamming as hard as possible had surprised Frank a little bit. He had been patiently waiting for his younger brother to climb into the van, so they could be on their way to Port Highland before the clock hit nine. The plans had altered a little bit to what he had thought through a few days before. He had discussed with Callie the night after the talk with Fenton and Joe, telling her about the new case. Of course, he hadn't mentioned the fact that both girls had a striking similarity to her. Even though he had tried to shrug it off as some bizarre coincidence, but he had been in the business to know that there was no such thing as a coincidence. Especially not one like this. After talking a little bit, Callie had quite blatantly suggested that both Frank and Joe take their girls along with them.<p>

"Callie, we're on a case, not out to relax," Frank had started rather warily, knowing what this conversation was going to lead to. The eldest Hardy had made it very clear that he didn't like it whenever either Callie or Vanessa tagged along during a case. He had claimed that it was much too dangerous for the pair. Callie, on the other end of the scale, had totally disagreed. She always claimed that she was a big girl now, and that Frank didn't need to always look out for her. Sure, it was a nice and chivalrous gesture and all, but Callie loved the thrill of being able to help out her boyfriend. They had always had the same argument every time Frank and Joe had been called for a new case, and to be perfectly honest, Frank Hardy was getting tired of it. All he wanted to do was protect the people he loved, and he didn't know how he could if they weren't letting him. A stab of guilt rushed through him as he thought about what had happened to his sister, although he was desperately trying to push all thoughts away. The argument had ended about an hour later, with Frank finally giving into his girlfriend. Now here he was, waiting for Joe so he could go pick up Callie and Vanessa from Callie's house.

"Hey Joe, you ready?" Frank asked he started the engine. Joe huffed something incoherent, crossing his arms over his chest. Joe hated forgetting his obligations, but it tended to happen often, especially when they were on a new case. The blonde haired teen was yelling at himself inwardly. He knew that Faith was barely coping, and he knew that he wasn't helping. He tried, oh did he try, but every action seemed to fall short. He let out a long, exasperated sigh. Frank raised his eyebrow as he turned a corner, wondering what on earth had gotten his brother in such a huff. "What happened bro?" He asked. Joe didn't say anything, debating whether he should tell his brother what had happened. A few seconds later, Joe started to babble about his morning encounter with their younger sister. Once he had finished, Frank didn't utter a word. He was too busy raging at himself. He couldn't believe how irresponsible he was being. It was so uncharacteristic for the elder Hardy to forget his obligations, especially when they involved his family so he wondered why he forgot this time. Especially at a time like this, with Faith so fragile. A faint blush appeared on his face when he finally thought of a reason. Callie. Ever since Frank had thought about the similarities between the two missing girls and his girlfriend, the cases was all he could think about. He couldn't risk losing Callie; she meant the world to him. What if that meant that he was losing his sister in the process?

The rest of the ride was silent, with both Hardy boys still deep in their thoughts. When they arrived to Callie's house, they were in a bit of a foul mood. You really couldn't blame them.  
>"Go and get them," Frank murmured to his younger brother, giving Joe a sideways glance. He hadn't seen much of Callie since the beginning of the case, and he really didn't know how he was going to react when he did see her. Although he was an awfully reserved teenager, particularly when it came to the expression of feelings, Callie was always the exception. Frank didn't care about how vulnerable he would show himself to his long time girlfriend, unless it had something to do with her. Whenever he even thought of her during the past two days, the faces of the missing girls would always appear in his mind. And then came the all too familiar feeling of fear. Fear that he was going to have to feel absolutely dreadful if that ever happened to his girlfriend. Dreadful couldn't even begin to describe how he would feel. He suddenly wondered whether it would feel the same as when they had thought they had lost Faith. What if it felt worse? The elder Hardy tried to push the thought away.<p>

"Why can't you?" Joe replied, trying his best to not sound whiny. Although he and Callie were civil to each other, the younger Hardy still had a feeling that Callie blamed him for Iola's death. Joe managed to shrug the thought of Iola off as he heard Frank sigh and open up his door. Muttering something about annoying little brothers, he stepped out of the van and jogged over to the front door of the Shaw's household. He gave the wooden frame a quick tap. The door opened almost immediately and Callie was standing there, smiling. She was dressed simply, in blue knee length denim shorts and a pastel green t-shirt with her hair tied into a ponytail. She gave Frank a quick peck on the cheek before calling out to Vanessa. Within minutes, all four of the teenagers were in the car.

"Are we all ready to go?" Frank asked everyone, adjusting the rearview mirror ever so slightly. The choruses of yes put a small smile of his face as he backed out of the Shaw's driveway.

"So what's the case about Joe?" Vanessa asked her boyfriend, pushing a piece of stray ash blonde hair away from her grey-blue eyes. She was seated at the back, sitting next to her best friend, similarly dressed in jean shorts and a pink and black t-shirt. Joe shifted in his seat uncomfortably. He was never very keen to get Vanessa too involved in any cases, but the girl was stubborn and always managed to get the information out of him one way or another. Knowing that he was going to start fighting a losing battle, he immediately gave in, as he wasn't in the mood to argue with his girlfriend. The blonde haired boy began to explain to Vanessa what the case was all about, when he stopped abruptly.

"Er, Frank, you missed the turnoff," he shot a glance at his older brother, whose face was expressionless. Joe was slightly puzzled. He had seen Frank look through the map on Google last night and knew for a fact that his brother knew exactly where he was going. It was very unlike Frank to forget where to go. Yet, he had missed the only turnoff that would take them to Port Highland. Frank's eyes never left the grey tarmac in front of him as he replied.

"I know." The monotone tone of his voice gave Joe no clue what his brother was thinking. Joe raised an eyebrow, wondering what on earth his brother was up to. The younger Hardy could say with all honesty that his brother lived off schedules and was always very reluctant to stray away from one, especially a schedule of his own. Shaking his head, Joe turned around to face Callie, who was seated in the back behind Frank. He wondered if the small blonde girl knew what her boyfriend was doing, but she merely shrugged her shoulders, silently saying 'I have as much clue as you do.' It was a rarity that Joe was uncomfortable breaking silences with his brother, and this moment just happened to be one of them. He started to get even more puzzled when Frank had pulled into the street that lead to the main town centre of Bayport. He opened his mouth to question his brother's route, but Callie got there first.

"Frank, where are we going?" she asked, staring at the back of the brunette's head as if he had grown three extra heads. She knew almost better than anyone that Frank liked to stick to schedules. Over the phone last night, he had explained to her exactly where they were going, what route they were going to take and the approximate time it would take to get there. Frank had decided that they were going to leave at around nine am and be at Port Highland just before ten. Callie glanced down at her watch, noting that Frank was already fifteen minutes late, according to his schedule. The eldest boy had said nothing, but merely pulled into a parking space just in front of the pharmacy. While the two girls had glanced at each other, both equally confused. Joe, on the other hand, felt like a light bulb had just gone off his mind as he thought back to a conversation he had with Frank the night after their talk with Fenton and Faith.

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><p>"<em>I can't believe she never told us about the sleeping pills," Frank muttered angrily, kicking off his shoes and throwing them against the wall. It was always a very unusual occasion to see the eldest Hardy in such a state of anger and annoyance, but the younger Hardy couldn't help but feel the same. After Fenton had left his office, Faith had bolted out of the room before her brothers could question her any further. She hadn't wanted to tell them about the medicine because she knew that they were going to make her take them. And there was no way that she was going to ever swallow any pills for any reason if she had it her way. Especially after the kidnapping. A chill ran through her spine whenever she even thought of what had happened, so she tried not to think about it as much as she could. There was that theory if you asked someone to not think of the colour blue, that is exactly what they would think about. The theory of reverse psychology. However hard Faith tried to convince herself not think about the kidnapping or anything related with the matter, that was exactly what she thought of. Now, whenever she thought of pills, she thought of the many different coloured tablets she had been forced to swallow on numerous occasions by the masked man. She had to take a least one pill each day, none of them were ever the same, all diverse shapes, sizes and colors. The masked man had told her that none of the pills had any long term side effects, but most of them lasted about two or three days, the worst lasting a week. Some made her vomit, others made her feverish. While some caused her to cough up blood, or go completely weak, the worst ones were the type that caused her to hallucinate. Faith hated those ones, she absolutely despised them. She had taken about five that had made her see things that weren't there, feel things that didn't exist, hear sounds that nobody else could hear. She was always completely terrified during and after those experiences, curled up into a ball while the masked man would chuckle at her. That was the main reason she had sworn to herself that she was never going to swallow a pill again, but it wasn't like she was about to tell her brothers that. She was scared of what they would say, of how they would react. Would they comfort her? Or maybe they'd send her to the doctor? She had always feared that they were going to look at her differently if she attempted to open up to them, so she came to the conclusion to tell them nothing. Joe, on the other hand, was feeling rather helpless. He sat on the edge of his brother's bed, with his head in his hands, his blonde locks entwined with his long, slender fingers in frustration. <em>

"_It doesn't matter Frank. What matters is what we're going to do to help her," Joe replied, his voice muffled. Frank glanced down at his brother, noting the unspoken defeat that the younger Hardy had felt. To be perfectly honest, Frank Hardy felt rather defeated himself. Whenever he felt like they were improving with Faith's current situation, something would always bring them five steps back. _

"_I don't know what we can do Joe," Frank said, running a callused hand through his dark hair. He glanced down at his other hand, clenching and unclenching his fist. Oh, how he wanted to punch the person who caused his sister all this turmoil. It was a fury deep inside of the teenager, something that was so uncharacteristic that it surprised him. Frank wasn't usually the type of person to seek revenge, but after seeing how broken his sister was, he wanted to break the person who did it to her. After breaking every bone in their body, he wanted to fix them, just so he could break them again. Joe couldn't read his elder brother's thoughts, but he looked up, he saw a gleam in Frank's eye that he had never seen in all of his seventeen years. A gleam of seeking revenge. _

"_Frank," Joe said softly, placing a hand on his brother's hand gently. At the touch, Frank was jolted back into reality._

"_What?" he asked, his tone was rather harsh, but Joe ignored it. He knew his brother better than anybody, and he knew that he needed to tell his brother what he needed to hear. It wasn't always what Frank wanted to hear, but he trusted that Joe would always put him back in line. He was grateful that he had the guts to._

"_There would be no point getting back at the Firm. Let's just focus on helping Faith," he said with a soft tone of voice that he hardly ever used. Frank glanced at his brother, sighing defeated-ly. He said nothing, but Joe knew that he had heard him. And for now, that was enough._

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><p>The sound of the car door opening pulled Joe back to reality. He reached out and grabbed the hem of Frank's blue shirt sleeve.<p>

"Please tell you're not doing what I think you're doing," he said, tugging on the sleeve. Frank turned his head to face his younger brother. There was a look of determination that gleamed in the elder Hardy's obsidian eyes and Joe immediately knew that he was not going to win this argument.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Frank replied in a non-committal tone as he slipped out of the van. Joe sighed, rubbing his finger against his temple. It was going to be a long day.

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><p>Review? (:<p> 


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: ** Pen-name change! I used to be cutelittleinsomiac, but I decided I'd like a change. I am so sorry for updating this a million years later! I hope that it lives up to everyone's expectations. I have my final exams in about three weeks, but after that, I shall do my best to update quicker. The ending is pretty lame and I apologize. Please don't shoot me?

**Disclaimer: **I wish I owned. But alas...

**Chapter Seven**

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><p>Frank entered the pharmacy, doing his best to keep a smile on his face. It was rather hard, considering the fact that his mind was rather occupied. Half of him was almost crippled with worry about his sister, while the other half was focused on the case. He hadn't been getting much sleep lately, haunted by negative thoughts, although he was doing his best not to let it get to him. Yet, he couldn't shake off the fact that the girls both looked like Callie and the thought was unnerving. The elder Hardy walked up to the front counter of the small Bayport Pharmacy, plastering a fake smile on his face.<p>

"Hi, my name's Frank Hardy," he stated to the lady that was standing at the counter. She was wearing the black and orange uniform of the pharmacy, her graying hair pulled up into a tight bun and a frown was etched in her wrinkled features.

"How may I help you?" she asked in bored tone. Frank didn't bother to dismiss the fact that she probably didn't want to help him. After at least five years of detective work, he was used to people talking to him like that, but usually they were out to kill him.

"I called in yesterday, ordering a prescription for my sister. It's under the name of Faith Hardy," he said, doing his best to sound happy. He had gone for a little drive yesterday and visited Dr Bates, asking for another prescription on behalf of his sister, as she had 'lost' hers. He happily obliged and as soon as Frank could, he was on the phone to the pharmacy so he could order the sleeping pills. He knew for a fact that Faith was getting no sleep and if this was the only way to help her, so be it. The woman on the other side of the counter merely nodded and left the counter to go to the back of the building, in the area that Frank assumed the medicine was being stored. She returned a few minutes later, with a bag in hand that had Faith's name and the requirements that came with taking the medicine. She handed the bag over to the elder Hardy, who took it gratefully. It was government funded, so there was nothing to pay. He muttered thanks to the unkind lady and walked out of the pharmacy, feeling a bit better about the situation.

When Frank returned to the van, he was greeted with a death glare from his younger brother. Joe was never the type of person who enjoyed being left in the dark and this was no exception.

"Where did you go?" Joe demanded, glaring at Frank, who had hopped into the van and started the engine. Frank couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

"I'll tell you later, okay?" Frank replied, an impassive look on his face. Joe was about to press the matter further, but knew that it was going to get nowhere. Instead, he focused on the small bag that was by Frank's leg. He had to squint to see what the bag had said and silently swore when he figured it out.

"Frank. What are you doing with that?" Joe asked, a dangerous tone escalating in his voice. He was not happy, to say the least. The girls, who had been taking quietly amongst themselves, looked at the boys, wondering what was going on. They were in the dark when it came to the Hardys' problems with Faith and Frank had certainly worked hard to keep it that way.

"Joe, we'll discuss this later," The elder Hardy replied quietly, but his tone was firm. Joe suppressed a grim smile and merely nodded. He wondered why his brother was acting so strange. It was rather worrying, but he knew that Frank wasn't going to discuss anything with the girls around. So, he just let the matter go and closed his eyes, knowing it was going to be a long day.

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><p>The Hardys arrived at Port Highland three quarters of an hour later and the van was weirdly silent. Frank just drove without a word, staring out into the grey tarmac in front of him, with his jaw clenched tight. He was never the type of person to discuss any feelings of any kind, unless it was his brother. But now, he didn't even want to talk to his brother, and he knew the reason why. Joe disagreed with him, he knew that much. The younger Hardy thought that Faith was dealing with things her own way and that they should just be around to help her and be there for her, but not to intervene. Frank, on the other hand, was on the completely opposite end of the scale. He knew that his sister needed help and didn't like the thought of just sitting there and doing nothing. He wanted to help her, to show that he really did care about her, despite some of the things that he did that didn't exactly show her that he did. But he really did love her. Much more than he'd ever care to admit.<p>

"We're here," he said, speaking for the first time for forty minutes. He had driven into one of the small suburbs in Port Highland and the four teenagers took in the scene. It looked picture perfect, all the houses identical looking with newly cut lawns and white picket fences, complete with brightly colored doors. Joe whistled low. Even though there were one or two areas in Bayport that looked like this, he was used to seeing the grand Victorian houses that dotted the streets of Elm and High. Frank pulled next to a house that had a bright red painted door and French windows that jutted out of the front of the house. He turned off the engine and reached out to the glove compartment to grab a notebook that his dad had given him the other day. He turned to one of the pages and a small smile tugged on his lips as he recognized his dad's untidy scrawl.

"Yolanda's parents are called Kirk and Melinda. Let's just go and find out what she was like and maybe try to figure out any reason of why she was taken," Frank said, turning slightly to face the other three passengers in the car. They all nodded. Joe wanted to say something, but he snapped his mouth shut as he noted the rather annoyed and strained tone in his brother's voice. Here goes nothing, Frank thought wryly as he opened the car door.

Although Frank was the first person to reach the Harris' front door, it was Joe who knocked on it first. He rapped on the wooden frame and patiently waited, his brother and girlfriend at his side. The door opened and a man about Frank's height appeared. He looked tired and worn, his salt and pepper hair sticking out in all directions and his eyes drooping. The younger Hardy felt a wave of sympathy wash over him, knowing that this man was feeling the exact same thing that his dad felt a few months ago when his own daughter had been abducted. He then wondered why his dad seemed quite hell bent to take on this case. He quickly disregarded the thought when he felt his older brother sharply nudge him in the side, silently reminding him to focus on the case. Joe cleared his throat, sending Frank a quick apology glance.

"Hi there Mr. Harris, I'm Joe Hardy and this is my brother Frank," the younger Hardy introduced himself, giving the man the brightest smile he could, considering the situation. The man's face remained motionless, but there was something that flickered in his eyes. Hope.

"Ah yes. You both look like your father," Mr Harris commented, noting the similarities between the two teenage boys standing in front of him and Fenton, who had visited him a few days ago. "Kirk," he introduced himself, reaching a hand out. Both Frank and Joe shook the old man's hand. Joe felt a sharp nudge at his side and looked down to see Vanessa raising an eyebrow at him, silently asking him why he didn't introduce either of the girls.

"Pleased to meet you," Joe started politely. "This is my girlfriend Vanessa Bender, and this is Frank's girlfriend, Callie Shaw," the younger Hardy added quickly, doing his best to ignore the glare that Vanessa had been giving him. Both girls just gave a small wave and Mr Harris muttered something incoherent.

"Come in," Kirk motioned the four teenagers to enter the household after a few seconds. He had his eyes on the blonde teenager standing a little behind Frank. The young girl was pretty, just like his Yolanda. They had the same naturally straight hair that cascaded down their tan shoulders, with sparkling ocean blue eyes and a smile that could easily melt any guy's heart. Callie noticed the old man staring at her and shifted uncomfortably.  
>"Is there something wrong sir?" she asked quietly, doing her best to try and not sound rude. At the sound of her voice, Mr Harris was pulled out of his reverie and sharply fixed his gaze towards the street.<p>

"Sorry," he apologized quickly. "You just look a lot like my daughter," he added the last part almost reluctantly. Frank felt all the colour drain out of his face when he heard Mr Harris' words. _It's just a coincidence_, a small voice in Frank's mind whispered, but the elder Hardy shook his head inwardly. As a detective, he knew that there was no such thing as a coincidence. The brunette was pulled out of his thoughts when the very girl he was thinking about tugged on his arm.

"Stop daydreaming Frank, you have a job to do," she whispered as she lead him into the Harris household. There was a small teasing grin on her face and for a second, Frank forgot everything he was thinking about. He knew Callie was right. Right now, he had to focus on finding out about Yolanda Harris. He would deal with this coincidence later.

* * *

><p>Usually, after Faith's soccer team won a game, she would be feeling pretty pumped. After all, she did score a hat-trick and Alicia did score the winning goal, but a part of her was still rather hurt that her own two brothers had managed to forget about her. <em>You're not a real Hardy,<em> the masked man's voice kept repeating itself over and over in the young girl's head like a broken record.

"Faith!" the sound of a familiar voice broke through the silence. It was always rowdy and loud after a game, but it was about an hour later and almost everyone had left. Alicia had wanted to spend time with her best friend and truly wanted to see what was wrong with her, but she had to work at the pizzeria for the day and Tony hated it whenever she was late, so as soon as the final buzzer went, she had to leave. The youngest Hardy didn't have any other close friends on her team that she could ask a ride for, so she sat on the edge of the field, wondering what she was going to do for the day.

Faith had desperately wanted to spend the day with her older brothers, but that obviously wasn't an option anymore. She missed being with them. All three of them had equally busy weekdays and the only time they saw each other was in between classes or during lunch, but they hardly talked during then. After school, each Hardy always had a study group to attend or a sports practice to participate in and it just seemed like by the time they all reached the house, they were too tired to bother having conversations.

"Levi?" the youngest Hardy couldn't help but keep the surprise out of her voice. She hadn't seen Levi on the sidelines during her game and to be perfectly honest, she really wasn't expecting to see him at all during the weekend. The curly haired boy tried to keep the blush from reaching his face. He was dressed in a white singlet that hugged his stomach muscles and a pair of rugby shorts with running trainers on his feet and sweat gleaming off his forehead. Levi always went for a run on a Saturday, doing the same route every week. He never ran into anyone at the fields though, as he knew that everyone should've left by now.

"What are you still doing here?" he asked, trying to wipe the beads of perspiration that were dripping down the side of his face as he neared the beautiful girl clad in soccer gear.

"Uh," Faith didn't really know what to say, for she didn't know what she was doing at the field. The brunette just wanted to be at home, but part of her knew the reason why she hadn't left yet. Fear. Since the summer, Faith despised being home alone, in absolute paranoia that she was going to be taken or something horrible was going to happen. "I didn't have a ride home," she said quickly. It wasn't the whole truth, but it was partially, Faith thought wryly.

"Uh, would you like to hang out then?" Levi tried extremely hard to keep the squeak out of his voice as he spoke. He didn't have anything planned and the Mortons didn't need him on the farm today, so it wasn't like he had anything better to do. Although, he would drop almost anything to hang out with a certain Hardy. She didn't say anything for a moment and he suddenly wondered if e had said the wrong thing. The curly haired boy placed a hand on the back of his neck awkwardly, opening his mouth to quickly try and apologize when Faith spoke.

"That sounds nice." Faith could feel her face go hot as soon as she spoke the words, but somehow seeing Levi grin goofily made it all the embarrassment worthwhile.

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><p>About fifteen minutes, a long conversation about nothing and apparent smiles on two teenagers' faces, Levi and Faith both arrived in front of the Reinheart residence. Although the paid only lived a few blocks away from each other, it was rather obvious that they did not live in the same area. Whereas Faith's small neighborhood on Elm and High was dotted with old grand Victorian houses, the houses in this area where smaller modern sized houses built with brick. Most of the houses were similar looking and Levi stopped in front of a red bricked house with a white door and dark brown roof.<p>

"Here's home," he muttered somewhat awkwardly as he motioned Faith to follow him up the drive and to the front door. The curly haired soccer player fished a bunch of keys out of his shorts and shoved one of them through the lock of the front door. There was a small 'click' and he pushed the door open, motioning for Faith to walk in first. The youngest Hardy smiled at his chivalry before walking into the hallway. From where she stood, she could see an open door that was leading to a small looking kitchen and a bunch of closed doors. The hallway wallpaper was a light blue colour, decorated with picture frames and artwork.

"You have a pretty nice place," Faith commented as she heard Levi shut the door. He nodded in thanks while untying his sneakers and tossing them to one side. Like her older brothers and father, Faith had gained an uncanny ability to read people and be rather observant. She noted that Levi looked so much more comfortable in his own environment, a genuine sparkle in his eyes and a light-hearted smile on his face. It was as if the mask that he put on during school had suddenly disappeared and Faith felt lucky she was able to see the difference.

"Thanks. My whole family's at home so I'll introduce you to them before getting changed," Levi said, leading Faith into the kitchen. As Faith had seen, the kitchen was not too big, with benches covering the three walls and cupboards above them. There was a wonderful aroma that filled both Levi and Faith's nostrils, the smell of freshly baked cookies. Standing by one of the benches was who Faith assumed was Mrs Reinheart, looking similar to his son with curly hair and the same bright almond shaped eyes, although her hair was tied up in a messy ponytail that softly swayed back and forth as she moved. She was dressed in a simple blue day dress with a long apron covering most of the front. She seemed to be icing the cookies that Faith smelt, along with two little girls, one looking a lot like their mother, but the other looking slightly different. She had the same eyes and tanned skin tone, but her hair was a lighter shade of brown and fell down her back in waves. Both girls looked younger than ten, but Faith wasn't too sure.

"Hey mom," Levi greeted his mother, walking over and giving her a chaste kiss on the forehead. At 5'11, he towered over his mother by about two inches. He looked down at his younger sisters, who seemed to be so much tinier standing next to their big brother. "Hi Layla, hey Lily," he smiled down at them as they raced towards him and engulfed the curly haired boy in a big hug. He couldn't help but let out a chuckle as he felt four little arms wrap around his waist.  
>"So girls, mom, this is my friend Faith," he added quickly, not wanting to leave the younger Hardy standing by the door awkwardly.<p>

"Hi," she said with a small smile, suddenly aware that her hair was tied into a messy ponytail and her soccer uniform was sticking to her and was slightly muddy. Apparently, Levi's mother didn't seem to notice as her face lit up.

"Oh hi! You must be the girl that Levi can't stop talking about!" she blurted out, reaching out to give the youngest Hardy a hug. Faith was slightly taken aback by his mother's enthusiasm and couldn't help but blush at her comment. Apparently the curly haired boy thought the same thing as he flushed bright red as he sent his mother a warning glance.

"Mom!" he hissed as his little sisters giggled.

"You're the one who texts him and he smiles really goofy like this!" the older girl imitated her brother with a wide grin on her face, looking like a lovesick fool. Faith laughed at the sight, only to make the poor boy blush even more,

"I'm going to go get dressed," he muttered, untangling himself from his sisters' arms before rushing out the kitchen, leaving Faith standing there alone with his sisters and mother.

"It's nice to finally meet you," Mrs Reinheart said, brushing flour off her hands and giving Faith another bright smile.

"You're really pretty!" The younger girl exclaimed, her bright smile resembling Levi's.

"Thanks," Faith couldn't help but smile back. _Maybe,_ she thought. _It wasn't going to be such a bad day._

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><p>Please reviews? Reviews are love :)<p> 


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Sorry, the ending is a bit rushed.

**Disclaimer: **I wish I owned, but no.

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><p><span>Chapter Eight<span>

Faith thought it was going to be awkward spending time with Levi and his family, but she found herself enjoying them immensely. Lily, who was Levi's seven year old sister, had taken quite a liking to the youngest Hardy, but she wasn't complaining. In fact, it felt nice to be with a 'normal' family and not always have to be alert for danger twenty four seven. The feeling was something new to Faith, but she couldn't say that she didn't enjoy it. After Levi had changed into jeans and a blue button up, Faith had asked to also change. She was desperate to get out of her sticky soccer uniform and she was also wanting to catch the eye of a certain curly haired boy, although if you asked her, she'd quite fervently deny so. The youngest Hardy was relieved to see that she had spare clothes in her sports bag and quickly changed into knee-high black denim shorts, a striped red singlet and her Bayport High tracksuit jersey. She did her best to fix up her hair, raking her fingers through it before plaiting a bit and pinning it to the side. As soon as she was satisfied, she stepped out of the Reinheart's bathroom and made her way to the lounge, where Lily, Layla and Levi were all sitting, watching some kids programme on the television.

"You look pretty!" Lily squealed as she saw Faith enter the room. The older girl couldn't help but give the enthusiastic girl a smile as she sat by her. Levi, on the other hand, was slightly annoyed that he couldn't get the compliment out fast enough.

The pair had a rather eventful rest of the day, playing with Levi's younger sisters and jamming on the guitar for a while. It was a chance for Faith to forget about her worries for a little bit, and it was the first time in a while that she was genuinely happy. Levi Reinheart just happened to bring that side out of her.

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><p>Frank Hardy passed the 'Welcome To Bayport' sign at around five in afternoon after a rather hectic day at Port Highland. They had managed to get quite a bit of information out of Yolanda Harris' parents and some of her friends and both of the Hardys were itching to get home and write all the information out once more and see if there was anything that could potentially be a reason for her disappearance. Frank could not help but think that the missing girl sounded a lot like his own girl, but nobody else seemed to think so, at least, nobody said anything about it.<p>

All Joe could think about was the poor grief stricken family. He knew exactly how her younger brother Austin felt, because he felt the exact same way when his own sister had disappeared only a few months ago. The blonde haired Hardy could see the worry and anguish that was etched in the young boy's eyes, although Austin Harris tried to hide it. Joe Hardy had made a silent vow then and there that he was going to find Yolanda and bring her home safe. Not just for her sake, but for her family, especially her thirteen year old brother.

After dropping both of the girls home, the Hardys made their way to the corner of Elm and High. Just as the younger Hardy was about to hop out of the van, something caught his eye. The pharmacy bag. It had reminded him that he still needed to talk to Frank about that. He glanced over at his older brother, whose face looked impassive as he climbed out of the van and made his way to the front door.

"Are you coming?" Frank called out to his brother, eager to lock the car and start working on the case. Both he and Joe had scribbled notes down as they talked to the various people today, but Frank wanted to sort them out. Being the most logical Hardy, he liked all his information in order so he could dissect it all in an orderly fashion, just because that was what Frank Hardy did. All thoughts of his younger sister and the sleeping pills had escaped his mind as he thought of the case, and the possibility that his girlfriend might be a potential victim.

"Yeah," Joe replied quickly, grabbing the pharmacy bag and following his brother into the house. "Faith, we're home!" he called out as he shut the door behind him and heard Frank lock the van. When there was no reply, the younger Hardy suddenly went into panic mode. It was rather uncharacteristic, but he had spent a few hours reliving all the emotions that he went through when his sister was missing and that somehow jarred him.

"It's okay Joe, she's probably at Alicia's or something," Frank stated, noticing his brother's unusual demeanor. He felt slightly guilty that he had never even thought about his younger sister for half the day until then, but to be fair, he had been rather occupied. Joe nodded and fished his phone out of his pocket and dropping the pharmacy bag onto the couch. Frank glanced down at it and his earlier plan suddenly came back into mind. Joe was quick to dial his youngest sibling's number and impatiently waited for her to pick up.

"Hello?" Hearing Faith's slightly confused voice on the other side of the phone sent a wave of relief over Joe's body as he gave a slight smile. He was getting too paranoid.

"Hey Faith, where are you?" Joe replied, quickly cutting to the chase. He couldn't help but note that there was a slight pause before she answered.

"Uh, actually. I'm at Levi's," she told him, her voice sounding rather unusual. Hearing this new information angered Joe a little bit. What was she doing at _his _house? And most importantly, why?

"What time are you planning to head home?" Joe asked, trying to simmer down his anger. He knew that he was being unreasonable. It didn't take a genius to tell that both Levi and Faith shared some kind of mutual feelings towards one another and the blonde haired boy wasn't about to ruin it for his sister.

"Any time. Are you guys home now? Cause if you want, you can come and pick me up. We could go out and have dinner together or something," Faith replied. She had so desperately wanted to spend some time with her brothers. Even though she'd had a great day with Levi and his family, all she wanted to do is be with her own. Was that suddenly too much to ask?

* * *

><p>Joe got Levi's address of his sister and promised her that he would be there to pick her up as soon as possible. There was just a small matter he had to attend to before getting her<p>

"Frank, what are you going to do with those pills?" he asked, not bothering to beat around the bush. He knew his brother almost as well as he knew himself, and a quick confrontation was the best way to deal with him. The eldest Hardy shrugged, doing his best not to show any emotion.

"I'm going to ask her to take them Joe," he replied coolly, picking the bag up from the couch.

"Why? You know she doesn't want to," the younger Hardy shot back, crossing his arms over his chest. He wasn't liking where this was going. Usually, it was Frank that was trying to convince him to not doing something stupid and the blonde hated it whenever the roles were reversed.

"It doesn't matter whether she doesn't want to or not Joe. She needs to sleep and if this is the only way that's going to happen, then so be it," Frank replied. He wasn't exactly enjoying this conversation either. There weren't many people who thought like the brunette did and he was never a fan of having to explain himself. Usually, he would confide to his brother about it, but his baby brother didn't seem to be sharing the same viewpoint as he did.

"That's not your choice to make," Joe was finding it hard to keep his temper in check. He was usually a cooled headed bloke, but his brother's sudden change in character, this new case and the change in his sister was starting to overwhelm.

"No more discussion bro. You see how tired she is and she really does need sleep. Faith isn't going to cope living like this. We are her big brothers and our job is do the best thing for her," Frank tried to reason, seeing his brother's agitation. The blonde had nothing left to say as he grabbed the van keys and left, knowing that if he didn't, he was going to say something he was going to regret.

The eldest Hardy watched as his brother sped off in their van, suddenly feeling overtired. He sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. This wasn't exactly the way it was supposed to go, he thought wryly as he pocketed the pills. Frank made his way up to his room so he could start re-writing the notes and trying to make some links. On the way up the stairs, his phone buzzed and he fished it out of his jersey pocket so he could read the text.

_Hey baby. Remember, the gang's meeting for pizza at Tony's tonight. See you at 7. xxx_

For a moment, Frank forgot all about the case and all about his siblings as he re-read the text from his girlfriend. Although the pizzeria that the Prito's owned wasn't technically Tony's, they all knew that he was going to own it someday so they just referred to it as 'Tony's.' Nobody ever bothered to correct them, not even the Hispanic boy himself. He replied to his girlfriend and sent a quick message to Joe to remind him, seeing as the eldest hadn't remembered himself.

* * *

><p>In a few minutes, Frank Hardy found himself sitting at his desk, scribbling away. He had gotten his notes from earlier today and laid them next to a clean piece of refill before writing out the notes again. It was what he did so he became familiar with all the facts they had learnt that day. He wrote Yolanda's name at the top of the paper and bullet pointed all the things they had found out about her. She was a rather athletic girl, on the cheer squad for Port Highland and the school's track team as one of the fastest girls. Yolanda was pretty popular around the area and there weren't many people that had a bad thing to say about her. The only person who openly couldn't stand the missing girl was her boyfriend's twin sister, Trisha O'Connor. She didn't believe that Yolanda was good enough for her brother and always made it a point to let the girl know. Yet, even as the eldest Hardy wrote that down, he knew that she wasn't a strong enough suspect. Sure, she had a bit of motive, but what did kidnapping the girl do? And it wasn't like an eighteen year old senior had many places to hide another girl her age. Once he finished writing the notes out and reading through them about twice, he felt like hitting his head against a wall. There wasn't anything to suggest that she was involved with anything dodgy and there certainly wasn't anything to suggest the reason why she got taken. Frank sighed, running a hand through his dark locks again. He hadn't had a chance to see his brother's notes and hopefully, that could lead them to something.<p>

Within ten minutes, Joe was knocking on the front door of the Reinheart's residence. The door opened after a few seconds and Joe found himself face to face with Levi himself. The curly haired boy suddenly felt awkward as he stood in front of Faith's other older brother. He was hoping like heck that he wasn't going to treat him like Frank did and was rather relieved when he was greeted with a small smirk.

"Hey, is Faith ready to go?" Joe asked, doing his best to be polite. Part of him wanted to laugh at the poor boy. Levi was pretty easy to read and by the looks of it, he felt a bit nervous. Well, you would too. If you were meeting your girlfriend's big brother for the first time, he heard a voice remind him softly. He pushed the thought aside as he eyed the boy. He looked pretty nice, the blonde thought, but he knew from experience that looks are always deceiving. He supposed that Levi wasn't exactly bad looking, with his curly hair bouncing slightly whenever he moved and his tall and muscular frame. Almost as good looking as me, Joe thought smugly.

"Yeah, she's just grabbing her stuff," the curly haired soccer player replied. As if on cue, Faith appeared behind him, her sports bag slung over her shoulder and a bright smile on her face. Seeing her look so happy, so alive, was probably one of the most relieving and heart-warming things Joe had seen in a long time. If this guy made her feel like this, he countered, maybe he had a slight chance.

"Hey Joe," the youngest Hardy greeted her older brother cheerfully as she slipped on her jandals and stuffed her soccer boots into her bag. The blonde haired boy was taken slightly aback at the seemingly genuine happiness that was evident in his sister's tone, but he did his best not to show it.

"Hey Faith, you ready to go?" he asked. She replied with a nod and glanced at Levi, before looking at her brother. Joe had the tendency to be a bit of a fool at times, but he could perfectly understand what his sister was trying to silently tell him. There was a small bit of him that wanted to stay, but the love for his sister overrode that and he winked before making his way to the van.

"So I'll see you on Monday," By the way Levi said it, it almost sounded like a question.

"Of course, we have math first period anyway," she replied. There was an awkward silence for a second while Levi internally debated whether he was going to hug her. She was waiting for him to make some kind of move, but when he stayed rigid, she decided to leave it. "See ya then. Thanks," as Faith started to walk away, Levi quickly grabbed her arm. Acting on complete impulse, and hormones, he pulled her into a hug, making her drop her bag in surprise. She couldn't help but smile into his chest as his scent drifted into her lungs. He smelt like the African Axe mixed with grass, she noted while she wrapped her arms around his waist. They stood like that, arms around each other for a second before he pulled away, although reluctant to do so.

"I'll talk to you later, kay?" he told her, his confidence slightly boosted. He felt like he was on some kind of adrenaline rush.

"Sure thing," she smiled at him, shouldering her bag and making her way over to the front of the van. She pulled the passenger door open and flung her bag inside before hopping in. There was a goofy grin on Levi's face as he waved to the retreating van. Faith waved back, an equally goofy grin plastered on her own face as they drove off.

"I see you had a good day," Joe commented wryly, pulling his sister out of her trance. She seemed to jump slightly at surprise, as if she only just realized he had seen the whole affair. Her face turned a light shade of pink at the thought.

"Yeah," she replied, her tone non-committal. She knew that Joe was probably never let her forget it, but she felt slightly at ease that it wasn't Frank who had seen it. "So how did going to the Port go?" she added quickly, wanting to change the subject. At this, Joe's face turned slightly grim. It had been a useful day, to say the least. He had talked to Yolanda's brother, boyfriend and about a dozen friends while Frank had handled her parents, teachers and coaches. Vanessa and Callie had actually been a great help, going through Yolanda's room with permission and seeing what she was like. Unfortunately, however, Joe hadn't found many clues to why or how she disappeared and who did it. There no potential suspects, heck, there was barely a motive. She was just the average teenage girl. He knew that the next step was going to be comparing all this information with the other missing girl and see if there were any links.

"It went well," Joe replied, speaking only half the truth. It was the only half that he wanted Faith to hear. She had made it clear when she was a lot younger that the thought of detective work was terrifying and she didn't want to get involved, and it wouldn't be a lie to say that all the other Hardys weren't complaining. Joe had found it a major relief, a less person to worry about. They never told her too much about the cases, for the more she knew, the greater harm she'd be in. And it was Frank and Joe's job to make sure she was in no harm at all. "Oh, I don't think we can go out for dinner tonight," he said, steering away from the subject. At that, Faith's heart sunk a little and her smile dropper off her face.

"Oh," she said, doing her best to not sound disappointed. It didn't matter anyway, as Joe could see right through her fake smile. "Why's that?"

"The gang's going to Tony's for pizza tonight," Joe answered, turning a corner. "You could come with us if you like," he added quickly, not wanting to leave his sister out of it. Faith thought for a second. As much she didn't mind the 'gang' as they all referred to it, she always felt out of place. She was younger than all of them by at least two years, and whenever she was with them, she always felt like they never wanted her around. She was tempted to say no, but there was no way she was going stay home on her own.

"Uh okay," she replied, rather unsure. As soon as the words came out of her mouth, however, she knew she was going to regret it.

* * *

><p>All three of the Hardys arrived at the Prito's pizza parlor as the clock hit seven exactly. Frank was looking around to see where their friends had seated themselves when he saw a familiar blonde beauty.<p>

"Hey Frank," Callie Shaw greeted her boyfriend with a small kiss on the cheek. The eldest Hardy couldn't help but grin as his girlfriend grabbed his hand. He was glad that he was able to end his day like this, even after all the hectic activity that occurred throughout the day. Joe and Faith exchanged glances before rolling their eyes good-naturedly and following the couple towards the table where the gang sat, minus Tony, who was busy working. Vanessa Bender looked surprised that Faith was there to join them. Although nothing was ever spoken, everyone knew that Faith and Vanessa didn't exactly have a positive relationship.

"Oh, I didn't know you guys were babysitting tonight," the raven haired girl stated bluntly as the Hardys sat down. Chet, Biff, Vanessa and Joe were seated on one side, Phil, Callie, Frank and Faith across the other side. Faith didn't say word, but merely gave Vanessa a fake smile. If the youngest Hardy was being honest, she hated being with the gang. Sure it was okay when they were younger, fun even, as her and Alicia would follow Frank, Joe, Tony and Chet around. As high school came for her two older brothers, so did new friends. Biff and Joe met each other in gym class, forming a friendship over the love of food and sport, and of course, Frank meeting Phil in the computer labs. Even though Faith had gotten to know all the guys pretty well, she knew that they all looked down on her as their friends' annoying little sister. Hearing Vanessa's jibe just made her regret her decision to come. Nobody seemed to notice the youngest Hardy's discomfort and just laughed at Vanessa's joke. Faith sighed and bit her tongue to force back an insult. It was going to be a heck of a long night, she thought as she sunk a little lower in her seat.

* * *

><p>By about half past eight, all of the teenagers were stuffed with pizza and ready to hit home. The boys and their friends had an amazing time, as per usual. They were eating pizza, cracking jokes and just enjoying each other's company. The same couldn't be said for Faith, however, who was inwardly begging to go home. You could imagine her relief when Joe announced that he was tired and wanted to hit the hay. The Hardys arrived to their home on Elm and High at around nine pm, all three of them feeling equally shattered. Although this was the case, Frank was still determined to go through with his plan and get Faith to take the sleeping pills.<p>

When they got home, Frank busied himself in the kitchen, grabbing one of the pills out of its container and crushing it into minute pieces. He dumped the crushed pill into a tall glass of orange juice, making sure he mixed the juice well so it didn't look like he was doing anything wrong. There was a small part of him that thought that what he was doing was terribly wrong, but he wanted his sister to get a proper rest. He was tired of seeing her looking as if she hadn't slept for weeks, because it was exactly the case. He wanted his baby sister to get the rest she needed and deserved, without being plagued by nightmares.

"Hey Faith," he tapped lightly on her door, orange juice in hand. For some reason, Frank felt slightly guilty and the feeling clung to him like super glue, although he tried to push the thought away. Faith had just finished getting dressed for bed and opened up her door to see her brother standing there. The eldest Hardy gave her a crooked smile as he noted she was wearing one of his old shirts with pajama shorts underneath.

'"Goodnight Frank," she said with a smile. He handed her the juice, and while slightly confused, she took it. "What's this for?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Just thought you'd like a drink," he replied nonchalantly, as he closed her door with a grin on his face. He had done it. She was finally going to get the rest she needed.

* * *

><p>Sorry about the ending. Please review?<p> 


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Sorry for the wait. And also, I'm sorry if it's slightly boring. I just wanted to make a point that Frank isn't perfect, because it seems like it sometimes. And I also wanted to fix the whole Faith/Frank feud and decided something good should happen to both of them for once. So enjoy!

** Disclaimer:** It's on my Christmas list, but for now I don't own the Hardy Boys. Excuse me while I go cry about it.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Nine<strong>

When Faith Hardy woke up the following morning, she couldn't help but feel slightly drowsy. Something felt odd, but she couldn't quite place her finger on what it was. Something felt off, something definitely wasn't right. She sat up, pushing her dark locks out of her face and felt a slight wave of dizziness rush through her. Groaning a little, she glanced down at her watch, trying to figure out what the fizzy figures were telling her.

She expected to see a time like 3:30am as she had seen every night previous to this. Instead, Faith got a bit of a shock when she read 7:04 am. She had slept through the whole night. That hadn't happened since she had gotten out of the hospital about two months ago. Her confusion was quickly replaced by realization as she remembered the last thing she did the night before was drink that juice her brother had given her. Faith had a feeling that it tasted a bit off, but she had disregarded the thought.

"I am going to kill you Frank Alexander Hardy," she muttered darkly as she got out of her bed. She quickly changed out of leopard print pajama shorts and one of her brother's old Adidas t-shirts into a pair of black jean shorts, white singlet and a red unbuttoned polo shirt. Faith didn't even bother to brush her hair, but tied it up in a quick bun before rushing downstairs to see her brother. _Boy, was he going to get it, _she couldn't help but think.

* * *

><p>Frank had been having a particularly good morning. He had woken up an hour earlier, changing out of his camouflage pajamas into a gray singlet and running shorts, slipping on his Nike trainers before going out for his morning run. It was always how he liked to start the morning. It was the only time he was ever really alone and it helped him to think. Sure, he loved his family to bits, but sometimes it was hard to think properly when Joe was screaming at the television while playing some video game or when Laura gave him a huge list of chores he had to complete in a certain amount of time. He enjoyed having time out for himself, but with his insanely busy schedule, it could only happen in the morning when he went for a run. Frank had established a route to run around, making sure it calculated to four kilometers exactly, just because it was the kind of thing Frank Hardy would do. He had gotten used to the track by now, running it almost every day for the past three years and could probably run the route blindfolded, but he didn't mind.<p>

The eldest Hardy didn't like change and he found it hard to adapt sometimes. That's why he enjoyed everything having an order. It meant that everything was going to be put in the place they were supposed to be and it stayed that way. It was just the way he liked to do things.

There were many things that Frank was thinking about that particular morning. His mind was mostly on the case and how they were going to approach matters. Fenton was going to be home in two days so they would be able to compare notes and see if there were suspects to find out more about, if there were any. He had read through the notes he had copied out, but there were no eye witnesses. Meaning that the chances of finding a suspect were minimal. The eldest Hardy tried not to be pessimistic, considering he knew how the families were feeling.

When he talked to Mr and Mrs Harris, it somehow reminded him of when Faith was kidnapped and how his parents were reacting to the police investigations. Mr Harris, like Fenton, had tried to portray a strong facade, but it was easy to see through. Anyone who looked at him could tell that he was growing increasingly worried for his daughter as every minute passed. Mrs Harris and Laura had also reacted similarly, the tear streaked faces and cracked voices pulling on Frank's heartstrings. He was determined to find Yolanda, no matter what. Just to do anything to get her family out of their misery. He knew exactly how it felt and was disgusted at the fact someone was making another two families feel the same way.

* * *

><p>When he got home, he certainly was not expecting to see his sister awake and glaring daggers at him. Oh if looks could kill, Frank Hardy would certainly be dead by now.<p>

"Morning Faith," he greeted her with a smile as he grabbed the kettle and placed it under the tap. It was a known fact that as soon as Frank got home, he'd like to have coffee, straight black with one sugar and a bit of milk before having his breakfast.

Every day, Frank had four pieces of whole-meal toast with sesame seeds on the crust. They were all in the toaster for exactly three minutes, buttered with either strawberry jam or honey, depending on his mood. Joe had always teased him, calling him predictable but he always rebutted that it was just his schedule, the way he liked to do things.

"Why Frank, why?" Faith cut straight to the chase. With other people, she would have tried to beat around the bushes a little, but with her oldest brother, she couldn't see the point. Normally, she wasn't the type who enjoyed confrontations; in fact, she pretty much hated them and tried to avoid them as much as possible.

But then again, it wasn't every day that your own brother gave you a drugged drink. As the words left Faith's mouth, Frank knew that he had been caught. He still had his back to her as he placed the kettle down and started to let it boil. There was part of him that wanted to deny whatever she was talking about, but he knew that there would be no reason to. He couldn't lie to her. Taking a deep breath, he started to talk.

"Why didn't you tell us about them in the first place?" It wasn't exactly the first thing he had wanted to say, it just came out. Frank had wanted to apologize first, but had stopped himself. There was no need to apologize, seeing as he wasn't sorry.

For a lack of a better word, Faith was shocked. It wasn't quite how she had thought Frank was going to react. She was expecting an apology, an explanation, or _something_ that wasn't a question directed at her. The uncharacteristic behavior was something that she could've expected from Joe, but never her oldest brother. The eldest Hardy was usually the calm, collected and logical one. His offhand reaction worried Faith a little bit, but she tried not to show it.

"It's my well-being Frank, you didn't need to know," she muttered in a low voice, doing her best to try and remain peaceful. There was a small part of her that wanted to run up to Frank and give him a hug, thanking him for thinking about her and worrying about her, but the latter wanted to just yell at him, demanding to know why. She folded her arms across her chest, waiting for him to reply.

"Exactly Faith, it's _your _well-being. We all deserved to know," he shot back instantaneously and almost defensively, back at his younger sister. Frank didn't exactly like the look of where this conversation was heading, but nothing could be done. There were things that they needed to talk about, regardless of whether they were things that were easy to discuss. And this was one of those things that were undeniably difficult to discuss.

"I can look after myself," she replied, doing her best to keep her tone down. Faith just wanted to scream at him and tell him to leave her alone, yet she didn't for a few reasons. The biggest and main reason was because she had far too much respect for her eldest brother to yell at him, let alone scream at him to mind his own business. Although at this point in time, it was a rather enticing thought. The second reason was because Faith didn't like yelling full-stop. When she got angry, she would either give the poor victim silent treatment or just speak quieter and quieter. It was just the way she did things.

"Look Faith, I'm not saying that you can't," Frank sighed, after a moment's thought as he tried to take another tactic. They both knew that the way they were talking was going to get them nowhere and he thought that he'd take the initiative and try to change the way they both saw things. It would be good for the both of them and it would be easier for them to talk, instead of argue. If there was something both of the pair didn't like, it was arguing.

"Then what are you saying?" she snapped, sounding much harsher than she felt the need to be. As soon as the words came out of her mouth, Faith regretted making them so rude. It was suffice to say that Frank was slightly taken aback by his sister's tone of voice. He hadn't expected for her to bite back so severely, and it sort of concerned him. Had he really gone too far? Maybe giving her the pills without her knowing wasn't the best idea. _No, really? _The cynical voice in his head told him.

"I'm saying that we all want to help you Faith," he started, his voice getting soft as he glanced down at his sister. The first thing that he thought was innocent. She looked so freaking innocent, and it physically pained Frank to even think about all the things that the stupid Firm had done to her. He didn't actually know exactly what they had done to her, but he could never forget the day they had found her.

* * *

><p>"<em>I think she's this way," Joe hissed, motioning for his brother and father to follow him. They were just outside an old abandoned warehouse which happened to be in the middle of nowhere, about one-hundred and sixty five miles south east of Bayport. <em>

_At the present time, all three of the Hardys were overtired, both physically and emotionally. Frank couldn't remember how much sleep he had gotten in the past week, although he highly doubted that it was going to reach more than fifteen hours when totaled. Since his sister had disappeared over three weeks ago, all three of them, along with the Bayport Police and a few helpers from the NYPD had joined forces to find Faith Hardy. All Frank was praying was his sister was still going to be alive when they found her. _

_Whoever had her loved to taunt the Hardys, he (or she) had made it extremely clear. It started with little things, taunting notes in the mailboxes, encrypted emails, phone calls from a strange person, but they started to get weirder and weirder, more terrifying each time. The last phone call was so threatening, it nearly made Joe wet his pants. That was unquestionably saying something. _

_Whoever had Faith made it very clear that he wanted all three of the Hardy males, or else she was a goner. It was suffice to say that they were all quick to hop into Fenton's car and drive to the destination that they had been told, eager to do anything to get their baby girl back. They hadn't quite formed a plan yet and to be quite honest, Frank was too tired to even think of one. They had discussed what they were going to do on the way to the abandoned warehouse, which included Fenton calling a few police officers and a number of other tidbits. _

"_Boys, are you sure you want to do this?" Fenton asked, glancing back at his two sons just before they were going to enter the warehouse. The expressions on their faces clearly showed their tiredness, but also showed their determination._

"_You know it dad," Joe replied, answering for both of the Hardy boys. Fenton merely nodded, before checking the surroundings once again._

"_Let's do this," Fenton said with a slight nod of his head. He ran his hand through his dark hair, just for good measure. It had become a habit he'd established after many years of disturbing cases that rattled his brains. "And remember," he added quickly. "If everything goes pear shaped, our only concern is Faith. Got it?" he tried not to sound remorseful, but it couldn't be helped._

_"Got it dad," Frank replied quickly. They all nodded at each other, not wanting to say goodbye. If they did, it would feel too final. And they were not saying goodbye, because they would be seeing each other soon. With Faith in tow as well._

* * *

><p>"Help me Frank?" Faith couldn't help but question, sending her older brother out of his trance. It took a moment to remember exactly what they were talking about, since he had been so engulfed in his thoughts. Frank looked down at his tennis shoes, suddenly not trusting himself to speak. As an amateur detective and with a danger magnet for a brother, the elder Hardy had seen plenty of horrid things in his short life. But nothing had ever prepared him for what he saw the day they found Faith.<p>

* * *

><p><em>"Oh my goodness," Frank murmured as he caught sight of his sister, feeling all the oxygen leave his lungs the moment he laid eyes on her. Behind him, he heard Joe swear softly, but it barely registered in the elder Hardy's mind. Faith was lying in a corner of the small white room, curled up in fetal position. The track pants she had been wearing the day she disappeared were ripped in various places, dried blood caked all over the tattered fabric. The purple shirt she had worn was now torn with a dark red patch forming around her left side, hardly resembling clothes of any type. Her feet were bare with red scratches everywhere and her normally beautiful dark hair was in a greasy, tangled mess above her head. Faith herself was a sickening pale shade, with purple bruises on her arms and legs. A mixture of dry and wet blood covered parts of her body, showing the horrid extent of the torture she had endured. Faith's eyes were closed and if it wasn't for the small rise and fall of her chest, Frank would've sworn his sister was dead.<em>

_There were over a million thoughts running through the eldest Hardy's mind as he stared at his sister. Every fiber of his being was screaming at him to run over and pull her fragile and broken body into his strong arms, and if it wasn't for the gun prodding the back of his head, he would've. His initial reaction had been relief. Relief that they had found her, and she was alive. Part of him wanted to tear his eyes away, but he couldn't. After looking at his sister and analyzing her injuries inwardly, which included broken ribs, starvation, dehydration, a twisted ankle and possible head trauma, among the things he could see, Frank felt a wave of anger rush through him._

_How dare Gary Paulsen or anyone else for that matter treat such a beautiful, precious and oh so innocent girl in such a way. He wondered what kind of sick things Gary had forced his younger sister to go through, what kind of pain she had to go through to just because she was a Hardy. _

_It was not the first time that Frank felt like a bad big brother, but it was a rare thing and he never enjoyed it. He hated failure of any kind, especially when he failed somebody he cared about. And he cared about his sister deeply. Just seeing her in the pain was like a repetitive stab in the heart, as if he was being mocked for failing to protect his own sister. Right then and there, he had made an internal promise to himself. He was never ever going to let his sister endure anything of this sort ever again, not if he had anything to do with it. He promised to protect her from anything that could harm her as long as he lived._

* * *

><p>"Yeah," Frank murmured softly, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to trickle out of his dark brown eyes. The elder Hardy was not one who ever showed great emotion, especially tears, but his sister in pain was definitely something worth tearing up about. She just looked so fragile, as if she was going to be swept away by a small gust of wind. Frank had never told anybody, but he was so worried that something was going to happen to her again and she was going to be broken beyond repair. He wasn't sure that he would be able to live with himself if something happened to his sister again.<p>

The elder Hardy hated vulnerability. He hated seeing those he loved in vulnerable positions and he most definitely hated being vulnerable. Frank never liked to express his worries to people, as he didn't want to burden anyone, but he felt that what he was thinking needed to be told.

"Frank?" Faith questioned, worried about her brother's silence. Although Joe was the more forward of the pair, the youngest Hardy knew that her brown haired brother also spoke his mind if need be. The silence was unnerving and Faith didn't like it. There was something in Frank's eyes, a flash of concern or maybe a flash of regret that made Faith's stomach turn.

Throughout her whole life, Frank was always the strong rock of the family in her point of view. Growing up, her father was hardly ever home and when he was, he was attending functions or dealing with other business. She could count the number of times they had dinner as a whole family on her fingers. In all of Faith's fifteen years of living, she couldn't remember one soccer game or music recital that her father had been in. Yet, Frank was always there, cheering her on. Although Faith and Joe were close and usually spent more time together, whether it be playing a video game, watching a movie or just hanging out, but Faith would always go to her oldest brother for advice.

For her, Frank was her solid rock, the one who knew all the answers, the one who comforted her and reassured her. Part of her knew that it wasn't fair for her to put all that expectation on her eighteen-year-old brother, but he had always seemed so happy to help. Frank would never complain whenever he had to cancel a date with Callie to help his younger sister with physics or have to alter his schedule so he could take her to soccer practice. Sure, they weren't as close as they used to be, with all of Frank's commitments being Callie's boyfriend, potential valedictorian and of course, being an amateur detective and keeping his younger brother out of trouble, but Faith always knew that whenever she would need Frank, he would be there.

"Sorry," the elder Hardy apologized, looking sincere as he lifted his head to meet his younger sister's piercing blue eyes that gleamed like the sea on a hot summer's day. "Look Faith, you need to understand something," he said slowly, as if he was trying to find the right words to express exactly how he was feeling.

"I'm listening," Was all Faith said as she stepped a little closer to hear her brother out. She knew that she wasn't being fair earlier and that he probably had a good intention, as he always did. _He is Frank Hardy for crying out loud,_ she thought wryly as she waited for her brother to speak. Frank took a deep breath before speaking.

"After…we found you," he began softly, his eyes finding the vinyl kitchen floor as he started to speak. "I couldn't live with myself. I couldn't believe that I had failed you," the words came out faster than Frank had expected and they left a sour taste in his mouth.

He never liked talking about things like this, especially when they concerned his feelings. He saw Faith open her mouth to object, but he quickly stopped her by raising his hand and silently asking her to wait. She seemed to understand and closed her mouth and glanced at her older brother expectantly.

"I had made a promise to myself to do anything in my power to protect you Faith. We all know that you aren't sleeping, you aren't as good of an actor as you think," he joked lamely, looking up to see his sister's reaction. To his delight, she let out a little laugh, playfully hitting him on the shoulder. "When I found out that you had pills that you could have been taking, I just wanted you to take them. I wanted you to sleep, I want you to rest," he continued. "I just want what's best for you," he finished suddenly, looking down at his hands that were clasped together in front of him.

To his surprise, Faith actually started to laugh. He frowned for a moment, not expecting that sort of reaction. Considering he had practically bared his soul to his youngest sibling, he didn't really want to be laughed at. Frank was certainly taken aback when Faith quickly closed the gap between them and wrapped her small arms around his waist. He stood there rigid for a second in shock, before relaxing and putting his arms around her. Faith buried her head in his chest, holding on tight.

"Thank you Frank," was all she could manage to say. It had taken Faith a moment to really comprehend what her brother was saying. Sure, they'd had heart to heart conversations before, but nothing ever liked this. She knew that Frank was a very private person and never liked to voice his emotions. The youngest Hardy felt a sudden surge of importance rush through her, partially glad that Frank loved her enough to tell her everything.

"Anything for you Faith," he replied in a genuine tone, gently giving her a kiss on the forehead. The brotherly manner made the youngest Hardy grin as she looked up at Frank.

"One thing though Frank," she began, her tone sounding mischievous. The eldest Hardy raised his eyebrows, wondering what she could be talking about.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Just give me a heads up when you drug my drink again," she replied. The words stung Frank slightly, as he knew that he was stupid to even think about doing what he did, let alone actually go through it, but his sister's tone was teasing and he knew that she meant nothing by it.

"Of course," he replied with a little chuckle. "I'm sorry about that," he added quickly, still feeling obliged to apologize.

"Don't mention it," she told him as they grinned at one another. They both pulled out of the embrace and Frank was about to reply when Joe burst into the room. Throughout the whole ordeal, the blonde haired Hardy had still been fast asleep and missed the reconciliation. He had been awoken when his cell phone rung, the loud tone ringing right by his ear.

"Frank," Joe said urgently, as he ran his hand through his already tousled blonde hair. He was still dressed in his black and red boxers and obviously hadn't bothered to look decent as he rushed down the stairs. Before either Frank or Faith could question what was wrong with their brother, the middle Hardy spoke up. "I got a call from the Severson family," he told them. Faith looked slightly confused as she glanced from one brother to another, but the eldest Hardy knew the name was linked to their case.

"What about them?" he prompted.

"They got a package. Things aren't looking good for their daughter," Joe replied, his voice sounding strangely dark. Faith's eyes got wide as she tried her best to piece the information with the case. She didn't know much about it, but by the horrified looks on both of her brother's faces, something was definitely wrong.

"Get ready both of you. We're leaving in five minutes," Frank ordered, his face grim. His mind was racing. By the look in Joe's eyes, he knew that there was something his brother wasn't telling him as their sister was in the room. Joe was withholding important information and judging by the mysterious and slightly revolted look plastered on his brother's face, he concluded that whatever it was had to be sinister.

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><p>Reviews make a girl smile :)<p> 


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N:** It's tiny. I know. I'm sorry. But the next one will be longer.

**Disclaimer:** ...

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><p><strong>Chapter Ten<strong>

Frank caught up with his younger brother as they both bounded up the stairs. His mind was racing with the possibilities of what Joe was hiding. _Could Milly Severson already be dead? What did that mean Yolanda Harris? At this time, they were assuming both of the cases were connected, but what if they weren't? _The thoughts were travelling around Frank Hardy's mind at a hundred miles per hour. He reached out to stop his brother with a gentle yet firm touch of the shoulder.

"What's up?" he said, with his eyebrows raised as he glanced at Joe. Joe was in a slight state of panic, to say the least. It was exactly the most wonderful news to wake up to, and he definitely did not like where things were going with the case.

"The package," Joe began with a quiet whisper, quickly peering around the hallway to make sure that their younger sister wasn't around.

There were certain aspects to do with a few of their more gruesome cases that they were adamant that Faith would never know about and this was one of those times. Both of the boys had agreed on what type of things Faith knew about and they were the minimal basics, if that. There were a few reasons they did so. One of the reasons was that there were some parts of their case that they were disgusted to even think about and they knew Faith didn't want to and definitely didn't need to hear about. For their more crucial cases, they kept the information on a need to know basis. If Faith was ever in a situation where she had to give any information reluctantly, she wouldn't have any to give out. They had concluded that it was just another safety measure to make sure that their younger sister stayed protected.

"It contained some pretty sick stuff," he stated blankly, not quite wanting to go into detail. He had already felt a bit grossed out by the information he had been given. Although he hadn't eaten yet, he felt last night's dinner rising as bile in his throat.

"Like what?" Frank prompted in a less demanding tone than before. He could read Joe like a picture book and knew that whatever his younger brother had to say next was going to be something that he probably didn't want to hear. Joe took a deep breath before speaking, trying to ready himself.

"There was a finger," he whispered in a barely audible tone. The elder Hardy could barely keep in his breakfast as mental images shot through his mind. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, trying to force images out of his head.

"Okay," he said after a moment, his voice sounding slightly freaked out. He knew that this meant that the case was definitely a lot darker than they had initially expected. He hated to admit it, but the first thing he thought was the danger he'd put his girlfriend in. What if the possible killer had seen them going into the Harris household and was now following not only Callie, but Vanessa too? The mere thought was making Frank feel sick to the pit of his stomach and he forced himself to stop before things got too drastic in his mind.

"Are you all right?" Joe asked, sounding genuinely worried as he looked at his brother. The younger Hardy had totally disregarded his own feelings towards the case to focus on his brother, who looked like he was about to either throw up or pass out.

Somehow, Frank managed to regain his composure within what he hoped was a few minutes before nodding towards Joe.

"I'm fine," he said, giving his younger brother a reassuring smile. Joe opened his mouth to retort, but was stopped when Faith appeared in the doorway. He was quick to snap his mouth shut and smile sweetly at his sister to suggest that nothing was wrong.

Faith glanced from brother to brother, wondering what she walked in on. Both of them seemed fine ten minutes ago when she was talking to Frank, but something had happened, and it definitely was not something good. She wasn't sure quite what had occurred between them, but she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to find out. Even though they had tried to nonchalantly pass over more gruesome details, Faith had always found out about them somehow, although most of the time she didn't even want to know.

It took her a second to remember why she had even gone upstairs in the first place. Faith looked down at the ground and noticed that their house phone was in her right hand.

"Dad's on the phone," she murmured, handing the phone to Joe, who was closest to her. He nodded in thanks and she was quick to leave, knowing that their father could only be calling to talk about their case.

"Hey dad, what's up?" Joe asked, placing the phone to his ear.

"Another girl's gone missing."


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N:** My muse is back from holiday. He has arrived in form of CSI: Miami episodes in which I get ideas from this story. Good thing there are heaps of episodes for me to watch. I didn't plan for the ending to turn out that way, but you know how it is with writing. I'll stop babbling now.

**Disclaimer:** I own twenty one Hardy Boys books, but not the Hardy Boys *Cue sad face*

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><p><strong>Chapter Eleven<strong>

Joe felt as if he was rooted to the spot. His throat was incredibly dry and there were a million and one thoughts racing through his mind as he gripped the phone tightly.

"Who is she?" Joe managed to ask after a few moments of silence. He forced himself to calm down and focus. As horrifying as the case was, he had to keep a clear mind in order to get anything done.

"Her name is Ali Richards and she's from Millerstown. I'm going to email you and Frank all the information I have gained from talking to her parents," Fenton told his son. After being called by Ali's parents, he had spent the morning with them learning all about their daughter and how she had disappeared.

"How similar is this disappearance to the other two?" The younger Hardy asked. As the words came out of his mouth, Frank glanced at Joe in horror. He hadn't been paying too much attention to the call as he was so engrossed in his thoughts about the other two girls.

In his mind, he had already formulated a plan. They were going to Klicksville to visit Milly's family to see the package and gather more information about it. Frank was hoping that it was going to lead them to possible suspects, but you could never be too sure with cases like this, so he wasn't going to keep his hopes up. Having another girl to also read case notes about was going to change his plans and he wasn't too keen on the thought. Frank was the type of person who hated having his agenda changed, although that had seemed to be what was happening more often than he would like.

When the elder Hardy heard Joe ask their father if the new missing girl might possibly be linked to the two other disappearances, all thoughts of his plans had disappeared and was replaced with a rush of fear. He hated cases like this and had dealt with very few of them. All Frank wanted to do was catch whoever was doing this to these poor girls and imprison them for life.

"I think you should read the case notes," Fenton murmured in a low tone before hanging up. Joe sighed, dropping the phone from his ear. From the tone of his father's voice, he already knew the answer to his question. Without a word, he made his way to his bedroom, Frank quick to follow his younger brother's heels.

Joe sat in front of his laptop, his brother standing behind him with a hand placed on the younger Hardy's desk, leaning over his brother slightly. They both said nothing as Joe booted up his laptop and waited to check his emails. Both of the boys were too engrossed in their own thoughts that they didn't bother to even make eye contact.

A few minutes passed and Joe had downloaded the folder that his father had sent him. Before he opened the file, the blonde haired boy twisted around on his computer chair to face his older brother.

"We're going to have to do this methodically," Joe said, looking Frank straight in the eye. For a split second, the elder Hardy was slightly taken aback. Everyone who knew the Hardy brothers knew that Frank was the more logical, organized and analytical of the pair, whereas Joe was the impulsive one who always acted on his gut. Hearing his brother talk about 'doing things methodically' was something Frank rarely heard and it always surprised him. The brunette knew, however, that his younger brother was right and they were going to have to search through the case files in a way that would get them all the information they wanted. Frank's mind raced as he tried to think of the most logical way to go through the information.

"What we're going to do is go through the word document that dad sent, finding words that have linked Milly and Yolanda together. Hopefully we'll find enough to link all three of the girls together. We'll see how she got kidnapped and check if there are any eyewitnesses. And then we'll look through the photos and find all the similarities between the three girls," Frank said after a moment's thought. The younger Hardy said nothing, but nodded in agreement.

"How about you get your laptop and look through the photos while I go through the documents?" Joe suggested. The fact that Milly Severson's had gotten a package with a finger in it hadn't left the younger Hardy's mind and he still wanted to go to Klicksville and investigate the package and see if that left them with any clues. With Frank looking at the photos and he at the documents, they were hopefully going to go twice as fast, so they could leave earlier and arrive at Klicksville quicker. Joe knew that his brother had the analytical eye and would be able to catch things in the photos that the younger Hardy might miss.

As if Frank read the blonde haired boy's mind, he quickly walked out of Joe's room to go to his own bedroom in order to grab their own case notes and his laptop. On his way back to his brother's room, he bumped into his sister. Literally.

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><p>Papers, photographs and scrap pieces of paper flew all over the hallway as the siblings collided, but Frank was glad that he managed to hold on to his laptop. He managed to stay standing up, but Faith, who was a good foot shorter and at least twenty pounds lighter, was lying on the floor in the mess of paper. He quickly bent down to help her sit up, immediately apologizing as he did so.<p>

"What's got you so inattentive?" Faith couldn't help but ask as she helped her eldest brother pick up all the paper he had dropped. Ever since her two brothers had a conversation in the hallway without her, they had both been acting strangely. Seeing Frank in such a frazzled state started to worry the youngest Hardy. It was extremely rare that Frank was ever in this mindset and it could only mean one thing. The case was starting to eat at him. It had only happened once or twice, whenever someone he cared about was in danger. From what Faith knew, Frank knew none of the girls previous to the case, so she couldn't help but wonder what was going on with him.

"Sorry," Frank apologized once more as Faith handed him a small stack of papers she had gathered. He took them gratefully and placed them on top of his laptop, silently reminding himself to sort through the papers and photographs as soon as he got to Joe's room. "Just the case," he tried to answer his sister's question as nonchalantly as possible, but Faith wasn't buying it. She raised an eyebrow at her oldest brother, but didn't bother to question him further.

"Well, I'm downstairs if you need me. I'll bring up sandwiches and coffee in about half an hour," she told him instead, turning around and heading towards the stairs. Frank made his way to his younger brother's room, breathing a sigh of relief. He hated lying to his sister and leaving her in the dark, but he knew that it was the best for her.

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><p>Within the next five minutes, the eldest Hardy busied himself with organizing the jumbled case notes. He laid all the notes into four piles: the photographs, notes about Milly, notes about Yolanda and notes that made both of the cases similar. Frank handed Joe the fourth pile, giving him the information he needed to find in Ali Richard's case notes.<p>

"What do you have so far?" Frank asked his younger brother as he waited for his laptop to start up. They were seated on opposite sides of the small room, Joe at his desk, Frank sitting on the floor leaning on the bed. The pair both had notes scattered around them, with highlighters to mark all the similarities. They also had a notepad and pen ready to take any new notes. Joe had said nothing for a moment, glancing down at his messy scrawl in his notepad to see what he could tell his brother that would be useful information.

"She's eighteen, a senior at Millerstown High. Only child, middle-class family. Last seen two days ago near the local library. There was one eyewitness, I'm reading the account now," the younger Hardy murmured as he continued to read the file in front of him.

"Right, keep me posted," Frank replied. He downloaded the folder and clicked 'open' on the first Jpeg file. What he saw absolutely shocked him and he struggled to keep his composure. The elder Hardy stared at the picture in a mixture of shock, horror and fear.

Joe noticed that his brother went silent and turned to face him. Seeing Frank deathly pale as he stared at the screen scared the younger Hardy and he was quick to make his way over to his brother to see what the matter was. When he caught sight of the picture, he gasped.

All three of the girls looked so similar.

Long blonde hair that reached mid-back and naturally wavy.

Bright blue, almond shaped eyes with thick blonde, long lashes.

Pale skin.

A petite, lithe frame.

"They're being targeted," Joe let out a hoarse whisper. He blinked a few times to try and focus before completely shutting his eyes. The mere thought that innocent teenage girls being targeted and kidnapped because they all looked the same made him feel sick right to the pit of his gut.

Frank was freaking out for another matter entirely. Although he was also trying to stomach the fact that young girls were being taken by some mad person, he could only think of Callie. She fit the description that all three of the kidnapped girls did. All three of the kidnappings were in small towns near Bayport and Frank couldn't help but think that his girlfriend might be next. The thought made the elder Hardy want to go and punch a wall.

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><p>The pair didn't know how long they sat there in silence, but it seemed like forever. Both boys were completely engrossed in dissecting the case notes of Ali Richards to see what all three girls had in common. As it turns out, they could've been carbon copies of one another. All three girls were cheerleaders, on the track team, on the honor roll and all had one younger brother and a steady boyfriend.<p>

"Why the hell are these girls getting targeted?" Joe spat out angrily after reading the eyewitness account for the third time. There wasn't much to work on, the eyewitness had barely been paying attention. All the blonde haired boy could get out of the account was that it was a tall man dressed in all black who had approached Ali and they had walked away together. Since the eyewitness was far away, they didn't know whether words were exchanged or anything like that. That meant that Ali either knew whoever had taken her, or she had been threatened. It really wasn't much to work on, but it was something.

Frank sighed, running a hand through his dark hair as he glanced at the photos again. There was nothing to suggest that the girl had any enemies, which really didn't help the case at all. The elder Hardy glanced at his watch, sighing once more.

"Joe, it's nearly noon. I think we should head over to Klicksville and check out that package," Frank murmured as he set his laptop on his brother's bed and stretched. Joe nodded in agreement, grateful that he was going to get out of the house. The blue eyed boy hated staying inside for a long period of time and desperately wanted to get up and do something active. As he saved the new case notes and logged off his laptop and got up out of his computer chair when a thought hit him.

"Sounds like a good plan bro, but what are we going to do about Faith?" The younger Hardy asked as he grabbed his black Nikes from underneath his desk. Frank glanced at him, wondering what he meant for a second. He had been so engrossed in his thoughts that he had even forgotten his sister was in the house.

"I don't think we should bring her along…" Frank trailed off, thinking of the case. There was no way he wanted his sister to be involved in something that could be potentially dangerous, not to mention quite gruesome. When he saw the look on his younger brother's face, he knew that they had no clue.

"I know it's not the best idea, but we can't just leave her home. You know that, I know that and our parents know that. The Pritos are out of town this weekend and there is no way in heck I am going to leave Faith at Levi's place," Joe replied as he slipped on his shoes. He knew for a fact that he and Frank had disappointed their sister many times in the past few weeks and he wasn't about to do it again.

"Yeah, I know," Frank muttered, seeming rather reluctant as he stood up from Joe's bed. He left the room to go grab his shoes before going downstairs to see his sister. Faith was seated at the kitchen table, looking like she was working hard on a school project.

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><p>"Faith, Joe and I are going to Klicksville for the new case," the elder Hardy began quietly as he entered the kitchen.<p>

The youngest Hardy was surprised to see that her brother had left Joe's room. He had seen them working hard on the case as she had passed by her blonde haired brother's room. They had left the door open and as she slipped past the room, Faith had glanced in and saw both of her brothers glued to their computer screens.

"Oh," Was all she said, unsure of how to react. She was hoping for a day spent with her brothers and just hanging out with them. It had been a long time since they had done anything together, just the three of them. Since this new case has started, it seemed to be all they planned on doing in their spare time. Either that or spending time with their friends.

"Do you want to come with us?" Frank asked, sounding rather meek as he grabbed the car keys off the kitchen counter. He had secretly hoped that she was going to say no, but they both knew what the answer was going to be.

"Sure," she said with a smile as she packed up her things. She was quick to put her things back into her room and grab her shoes before making her way to the car. Faith wondered what was going to happen in Klicksville, but she wasn't completely sure she wasn't going to like.

The siblings were on their way to Klicksville in the matter of minutes. The small town of about nine thousand people was about an hour and a half north of Bayport, the drive not particularly interesting but rather windy. The two Hardy boys were itching to talk about the case, but with Faith sitting in the back seat, they didn't want to say anything in front of her. Especially anything to do with the package. They simply sat in the car with a local radio station turned out and music pumping through the speakers.

Faith was blissfully unaware of any of the dark side of the case. All she knew was that there were now three missing girls that all looked the same, but that was about it. She knew that her brothers and father were not going to let her know any information and she was glad. Although she had the tendency to be a curious person, she never liked to hear about the cases. She was just pleased that she got to spend time with her brothers.

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><p>The ride was quiet for the first thirty minutes of the journey, all three of the Hardy siblings absorbed in their own thoughts. Frank and Joe in particular were thinking about the case, but both of them in different aspects. Joe was thinking about the missing girls and about the eyewitness case he had read so many times. He was hoping that they were going to find a few decent leads in Klicksville and that they would find the girls safe and sound, but for some reason, his gut was telling him that it was going to be a different story.<p>

Frank, on the other hand was thinking about Callie. He was that he was being incredibly selfish since three girls lives were in danger, but he couldn't shake off the feeling that his girlfriend was going to be a part of the case, whether he liked it or not. The elder Hardy didn't have a particularly good feeling about the case in general and thought that it was going to get much worse, as much as he didn't want it to.

The youngest Hardy was thinking about something entirely different. She was thinking about the two teenage boys who were sitting in front of her. They both looked so different from behind, one with short dark hair that was impeccably neat and a straight back, the other with tousled longer blonde hair that flicked slightly at the ends who was slouched against the car seat. Yet, they were so familiar in many ways, but so different in other ways. She wondered what had happened between the three of them.

Sure, both Frank and Joe were still the best of friends, but nothing was ever going to change that. What she was wondering was what had separated her from her brothers. They had all been so close growing up, but in the past two years, it was like she barely existed. Of course, they did everything possible to get her back alive when she had been kidnapped and was by her side every step of the way during her physical recovery, but with the small things, they were busy with their own lives. She highly doubted that they had ever been to any of her soccer games, just like her father.

There were times that she didn't feel part of the family. By blood, she knew that they were all related and she even looked like all four of her family members, but sometimes she felt like she didn't belong. Unlike her brothers and father, she hated being in dangers and she wasn't an outdoor person, but all her family members were. Faith had been to countless track meets, football games, softball matches, swimming competitions that her brothers were involved in, but she couldn't remember one time her family had all been to one of her musical performances or her soccer games. Heck, her mother was the only person who came to her middle school graduation. Faith sighed, twisting her long hair around her pinky finger.

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><p>"You guys don't want me here, do you?" She murmured quietly from the back seat. Both of the boys were slightly surprised that she had spoken up, considering she had been silent throughout the journey.<p>

"Of course we do," Joe replied, but she couldn't help but miss his slight hesitation. The blonde haired Hardy instantly felt guilty for what was going on. He loved his sister so much more than he'd ever admit, but he hated seeing her in danger. What had happened during her kidnapping and the aftermath had torn him to shreds and he had promised to himself that something like that would never happen to her again. Joe had never thought in a million years that his efforts of trying to protect her were slowly pushing her away in the process.

"No you don't," Faith insisted with a small hiss. "The only reason I'm here is because mom and dad made you take me. You know if you really didn't want me around, you could've dropped me off at the Hadlows."

Silence filled the Hardy's van as both of the boys tried to figure out a way to reassure their sister that they cared. Hearing a small sniffle from the back seat made Frank's heart tear into two. He hated seeing anyone he cared about crying, especially when it was his baby sister and especially when it was partially his fault. The eldest Hardy pulled over as soon as he could and cut the engine to turn and face his sister.

Joe was two steps ahead of his brother and opened the car door as soon as he heard the engine turn off. He was quick to unbuckle his seatbelt and climb out of the van and rushed to the back passenger's door and pulled it open before climbing in and sitting next to his sister. Nobody said anything as Joe put his arms around his sister and wrapped her in a tight embrace as she sniffled against his shoulder.

"It's okay Faith, it's okay," Joe murmured in her ear as Frank unbuckled his seatbelt and rushed to join his siblings in the back seat of their van. He put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed it tightly.

"Faith, we're trying to protect you," the elder Hardy tried to reassure her. Frank didn't know what else to say. He just wanted everything to be okay again, to be the way it was before the kidnapping. Faith lifted her head off Joe's shoulder and quickly wiped away any remaining tears on her face.

"By pushing me away?" She cried, trying to hold back more tears. Usually, she wasn't such an emotional person, keeping her feelings to herself like her brothers did, but she couldn't help it. Faith was tired of her brothers not being around anymore and had decided it was time they knew what she was feeling. It wasn't exactly the way she wanted to tell them, but nothing could be done now.

"No, no," Joe soothed, rubbing circles on her back to try and calm her down. He never enjoyed seeing anyone in distress, it was why he loved being an amateur detective so much, to try and help people get out of their problems, but he couldn't stand to see his sister cry. "All we've been trying to do is protect you. Seeing you in that hospital bed after we found you almost killed me Faith, I can't see that again," He murmured the last part, his voice only a mere whisper as he tried to hold back his emotion.

"Sorry for pushing you away Faith, we never meant to," Frank added in the most sincere tone he could muster. "We won't do it again," he promised as he leant in to press his lips against her forehead.

"I guess she should probably head to Klicksville," she suggested a few minutes as she lifted her head off Frank's shoulder where she had been resting. They had sat there in a contented silence, all equally grateful that their relationships with one another had been restored. Both of the boys nodded, glancing at each other before giving her a quick squeeze. They both got up from their places beside her and made their way back to the front of the van.

Within minutes, they were on the road again. Faith had never felt so safe with her two brothers' arms around her and never wanted to leave the position, but she knew that they had work to do. They were her heroes, but it was time they were heroes for the missing girls and their families too.

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><p>What do you think? Next chapter will include more information about the package :3<p> 


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